JR Artisan Spotlight
Susan DelissFounder
Enter into the Fabrics of Susan Deliss’ Life, an internationally renowned textiles designer and interior decorator known for her cultivated use of color and pattern.
Join Susan and our Textile Manager, Philip Hess, for an engaging conversation and Q/A during D&D Spring Market. Learn how her love for collecting fabrics transformed into a brand known for sophisticated wovens and timely prints primarily made in the UK. Discover her latest collection available Inside Rosselli and how to transform any interior with artisanal fabrics.
How did you get your start in the industry:
I had between working for 15 years between London and Cairo until the Egyptian revolution in 2011, when I decided I wanted a total change of direction. I started cutting up textiles I had collected over many years and making them into cushions that I piled up on my sofa at home and sold to friends and family.
Describe your work in 5 words or less:
Original, beautiful and beautifully made.
What inspires you?:
Beautiful things made beautifully by man or nature that feel genuine and not contrived.
Describe your studio/work space:
I and my team work on my kitchen table, which is where I started the business. I am the messy one, with lots of piles of work in progress. The table gets cleared every evening so my family can use it. My showroom is at the back of my house and has been compared to Ali Baba’s cave many times.
What’s makes your brand stand out from the rest:
Inspired by my travels and by textiles that I find on them, my designs combine colours and patterns in an original and beautiful way. I will only sell things I love and it makes me genuinely happy when my clients love what they buy from me. I back this up by a very friendly, personable and efficient service – I treat people as I like to be treated.
Any new techniques, mediums, colors, aesthetics you are experimenting with?
Lots! I am experimenting all the time.
What is something we should know about your new collection?
Grenadine is the French name for pomegranate. Pomegranates have such positive associations in so many cultures and are a motif that I have seen again and again, from ceramics from Grenada in Spain to 16th Century Ottoman robes in Turkey. They signify heath and long life, so I felt it was a good time to create some positive energy. The pink, yellow and green colour choices are a change of palette for me – a deliberate choice to create something uplifting and cheerful as we pull out of the COVID pandemic.