SEAM CHANGE | PODCAST
“Have you ever wondered what happens to those clothes that get returned because of a faulty zip, or the ones that just never get sold in the first place? This type of textile waste is a common issue for brands big and small, but what are they doing with it? Turns out, some local Aussie fashion businesses are collaborating with other brands and designers to remake, resew, redye, remanufacture, or upcycle that ‘waste’ into something new. I want to find out how these collaborations occur; in fact, I’m doing a PhD on it, and I wanted to bring you along for the ride. So, join me, Julia English, on Seam Change, a podcast where I interview these creatives and ask them all my burning questions, from how they met each other, the steps involved in these types of partnerships as well as how it contributes to their business overall.
Suzan Dlouhy is the designer behind Melbourne based fashion brand SZN, which offer custom and one-off designs using unwanted materials. This episode focuses on her collaboration with Nique, another Aussie brand, for their ReNique Renew initiative where she pieced together their textile waste into a limited run of oversized patchworked linen dresses. This project is only one part of Suzan’s work with her brand SZN, which she started in 2012. Using textile waste has always been a key part of her design approach, which has evolved into her signature mismatched pieced fabric aesthetic which she showcases through loose and comfortable styles. Like many creatives, she juggles her brand with a few other jobs, including teaching at Second Stitch, a social enterprise which offers fashion production training for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, and she also works as a DJ.
Suzan starts by painting a picture of the garments that she created for Nique and discussing the various factors which shaped her design approach. We then dive into the making process, talking about creative spaces and how running a small business intersects with daily life. She also shares some thoughts about pricing as a creative, and how she tackles this in practice. Finally, we dive into what being small really looks like, and how her strategies have shifted over the brand’s 10 years, as well as the advice she’d give to others who want to follow in her footsteps.
About the Research: This podcast is part of my (Julia English’s) PhD research at RMIT University. Please note, engagement with this podcast (for example, reviews) will be included in the research. If you wish your engagement to be excluded, please email me (Julia.english@student.rmit.edu.au). Your engagement helps me understand whether sharing interviews in this way is helpful and assists my research in identifying if this knowledge is of value to the local industry. You can find more information on my Instagram including an FAQ section, as I am also using feedback through my social media channels.
My research is looking into how people like Suzan are working together to do these types of projects, where waste is being remade into new things. The way that I am finding out more about these types of projects is through interviews, and that is what you are listening to on the podcast. As noted in the recording, these are edited to create a smooth sounding podcast and some parts of the interview may have been excluded if not suitable for public sharing, or if the interview was overly long.
This research project has had ethics approval through RMIT University (2021-24506-15223).“
Links & Contact Info:
Renique Renew Initiative: https://www.nique.com.au/pages/re-nique-renew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_julia.english_/
Email: Julia.english@student.rmit.edu.au
Credits: Music by Frank Henry, with thanks.
This PhD research is funded by an Australian Research Training Program Scholarship.
Transcripts & Citation: For access to both pdf and text files of transcripts, head over here: https://doi.org/10.25439/rmt.19241943
Please cite as:
English, Julia (2022): Suzan Dlouhy from SZN on being part of the ReNique Renew initiative and staying small | Episode 1 | Seam Change Podcast. RMIT University. Media. https://doi.org/10.25439/rmt.19241943