Our first guest on the podcast is independent Fashion Designer and Selecta, Suzan Dlouhy. Hailing from Kingston, Queensland and born of a South African (Xhosa) mother and a Czech dad, Suzan played in the family brass polka band, feasted on stews, and indulged in Aeroplane Jelly for desert (if she was lucky.) Suzan’s parents met in South Africa while her father was working as a Hydraulic Engineer and Pilot. They would take weekend trips in their Kombi Van around Kimberly (South Africa) and adventure further afield in the family plane.
At age 11 with the guidance of her father, Suzan created her first garment; a “ra-ra” skirt modelled on a piece she wanted in a store window. Many moons and DIY projects later Suzan went on to study a Bachelor of Design in Fashion at TAFE in Canberra. Drawing inspiration from the minimalism, brutalism and functionality as observed in the capital, Suzan developed her individual style and went on to become the founder of SZN The Label. The name itself being inspired by the abstractionism of government departments’ acronyms. Now based in Melbourne, SZN is a successful sustainable label that produces ‘soulful and intelligent garments, which are refined through time, contemplation and slow craftswomanship.’
A weekend and late-night DJ, Selecta Suze da Fuse loves to play Reggae, Latin, Blues, Funk and Soul. She also supports local artists such as MO’JU, Kira Puru, Man Made Mountains, SO.Crates, Sampa the Great, Kaiit and Emma Donovan as mentioned in this episode. The last record that she ordered was Trechtown Mix Up by The Gladiators.
Discussion Points
Brutalism, Minimalism and Sustainability as concepts in relation to Fashion Design.
How Suzan’s bi-racial childhood and upbringing informed her artistic practice.
The experience of being a woman of colour in the fashion industry before and during unfolding of the BLM movement.
Biography
Suzan Dlouhy wears many hats, she’s a mama, an eco-minimalist, a DJ and a textile artist who specializes in sustainable design via her label, SZN. As a fashion designer Suzan utilizes her own reductive pattern-making style to produce minimal silhouettes that focus on craftsmanship, and soulful, intelligent design. Suzan also makes costumes for film and stage, assembling looks from found objects, recycled clothes and repurposed items. She’s worked on music videos, dance productions, fashion parades, exhibitions and even an opera. You can also find Suzan spinning records around town under her reggae moniker, Selecta Suze Da Fuse….
Links
Website szn.com.au
Instagram @sznthelabel
Podcast SZN ISO POD
DJ Facebook Page Selecta Suz Da Fuse
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