Meet Suzi Click

We recently connected with Suzi Click and have shared our conversation below.

Suzi, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. As a child I made doll clothes with a toy sewing machine and then when I was in the 8th grade and took Home Economics to learn how to use commercial patterns my parents bought me a real sewing machine and from then on I made many of the clothes I wore.

Then I chose to go to Texas Tech University. where they had an excellent Home Economics Department which offered degrees in Fashion Design where I learned tailoring, fashion sketching and pattern making and received both a Bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Clothing & Textiles

I also always loved fashion and dressing up myself and today I am a proud member of Advanced Style. My motto is “Dress everyday like it is fiesta” as one of my style icons Frida Kahlo said.

Also my grandmother was an inspiration as I watched her sew clothes on her old Singer peddle machine.

And my interest in ethnic textiles which are the focus of my work now came from a jacket my father bought for my mother in Cairo, Egypt where he was stationed for a while in WWII. Although she never wore it I admired it and she let me play dress up in it and I even wore it to a piano recital. She gave it to me when I was in college and in 2006 I found out the story behind it. The Contemporary Craft Museum in Los Angels had an exhibit on Palestinian Textiles and there was a jacket like mine in the exhibit. It was a taksiri jacket traditionally part of a bridal ensemble but mine was made in black velvet adorned with metallic gold couching stitching (a form of embroidery) and in that combination was made for the tourist trade, probably made in Ramallah or Bethlehem. Coming from small towns in Texas I had never been exposed to anything like that so it really captured my imagination and appreciation.

I also feel that being born in Paris (though in Texas) and named Suzanne -which is French and Suzanis are Uzbekistan textiles that I use in my work-may have been an early sign for me.

But honestly I was so fortunate to have the best parents who supported and encouraged me to become what I wanted to be.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My artisan apparel is one of a kind made from ethnic textiles, many of which I source directly from the makers and weavers from textiles journeys around the world. Just in the last year I went to Vietnam, Colombia, Bolivia, Morocco, Papua, New Guinea and Senegal but my favorite textiles are from India, Mexico and Indonesia.

The jackets are usually a loose fit and combine several different textiles from different countries sometimes in one style – a cross cultural mix. They are usually very colorful. Dresses and tunics, handbags, hats and pillows are also part of my line.

I make the patterns, cut them and sew them myself. I have a masters degree in Clothing & Textiles from Texas Tech University.

Before I started my own business in 2001 I worked as designer of jeans and casual wear for almost 28 years for large companies including Levi, Wrangler, Bon Jour, Tarrant Apparel Company and others. I also started or help start two women’s fashion jeans brands- Outlaw and Two Girls Dancing.

I also taught fashion design part time at several schools- Atlanta Academy of Art, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and San Francisco Academy of Art.

Currently I sell my work on line www.suziclick.com or at local craft and artisan shows in Los Angeles. I will be at the Pasadena Bead and Design Show in January and the Artazan show in May both at Pasadena Convention Center.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Learning how to sew then how to make my own patterns. Even if you do not do these actual things as a designer for an apparel company it helps to understand how it is done when you have to tell those who do the work what you want or expect from them. And now I do it myself.

Researching trends was an important part of my career as a jeans designer and doing a lot of shopping with an open mind was important. The work I do now has nothing to do with trends however but I feel that my customer – usually older women like myself -have earned the ability to not care at all what the trends are – we make our own.

Developing an artistic eye for the designs I do now has been my best quality. I can see things that others do not- how to put different colors and patterns and types of textiles together in a unique way. I feel that living in New York City in the 80’s with my husband who is an artist – a painter- and going to museum shows and art galleries all the time gave me an art education that I use today in my work.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to encourage me to do what I felt was my calling. They willingly paid for my college education and supported me in my choices and never tried to talk me into doing something else that wasn’t me. And they really did not know much at all about the fashion industry.

Of course my Mother always had a career as a teacher and had several degrees including one year of law school so she was an excellent role model. I always knew I would get a college degree and have a career. No question -and that was in the 50’s and 60’s when many women were housewives and mothers only.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.suziclick.com
• Instagram: Suzi Click
• Facebook: Suzi Click
• Linkedin: Suzi Click

Image Credits

Ari Seth Cohen -the author of Advanced Style books and blog- took the photo of me that is in his second book Advanced Style Older & Wiser (where I am sitting on the steps and my Suzani boots are very visible)

I took most of the other photos myself or my husband did.