Suzie Zuzek | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

ABOUT SUZIE ZUZEK

Suzie Zuzek (American, 1920-2011) grew up on a farm near Buffalo, New York. After serving in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) during World War II, she attended Pratt Institute on the G. I. Bill. After graduating in 1949, she quickly found work in New York designing prints for both fashion and decorator fabrics, but marriage took her to Key West, Florida, in 1955. When former New Yorkers Jim Russell and Peter Pell opened their screen print factory there in 1961, she eagerly accepted a position as designer, working part-time while raising three daughters.

Over the next 23 years, Zuzek created over 1,550 designs for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, most of which were used by Pulitzer’s women’s, men’s, children’s, and home furnishings lines. It was common then and remains so today for textile designers’ contributions to fashion to remain anonymous. But the “Lilly Look” was synonymous with wild, wonderful prints, and those prints were overwhelmingly the product of Zuzek’s boundless imagination.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Drawn textile design consisting of white, patterned rhinoceroses outlined in black from a variety of positions and angles against a forest green ground. — Drawing, Rhino, © January 21, 1977. Designed by Suzie Zuzek (Agnes Helen Zuzek de Poo, American, 1920–2011) for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. (Key West, Florida). Used by Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., before 1985 (Palm Beach, Florida). Brush and green watercolor, white gouache, pen and black ink, graphite on paper. 38.1 × 28.4 cm (15 × 11 3/16 in.). Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Gift of The Original I.P. LLC, 2019-11-2. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.

Drawn, watercolor textile design consisting of white and pastel pink striped flowers with honey-colored centers, and orange and black spotted cheetahs against a blush pink background with terracotta orange spots. — Drawing, Wildness, © September 11, 1972. Designed by Suzie Zuzek (Agnes Helen Zuzek de Poo, American, 1920–2011) for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. (Key West, Florida). Used by Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., before 1985 (Palm Beach, Florida). Brush and watercolor, pen and black ink, graphite on paper. 38.1 × 56.2 cm (15 × 22 1/8 in.). Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Gift of The Original I.P. LLC, 2019-11-6. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.

Drawn, watercolor textile design made up of several varieties of flowers in crimson, pale fuchsia pink, sky-blue, white and violet, with gold and forest-green leaves against a white background. — Drawing, Grace’s Garden, © March 10, 1972. Designed by Suzie Zuzek (Agnes Helen Zuzek de Poo, American, 1920–2011) for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. (Key West, Florida). Brush and watercolor, graphite on cream paper. 38.2 × 56.2 cm (15 1/16 × 22 1/8 in.). Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Gift of The Original I.P. LLC, 2019-11-5. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.

Watercolor and ink textile design on white paper, with a mix of large white shells finely outlined in black against a seafoam green background swirling with currents of various pale blue tropical fishes. — Drawing, The Reef, © June 12, 1979. Designed by Suzie Zuzek (Agnes Helen Zuzek de Poo, American, 1920–2011) for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. (Key West, Florida). Used by Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., before 1985 (Palm Beach, Florida). Brush and watercolor, pen and black ink, graphite on white paper. 38.1 × 34.3 cm (15 × 13 1/2 in.). Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Gift of The Original I.P. LLC, 2019-11-1. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.

Floral textile design with large white flowers blooming amid curling yellow-green watercolored foliage, with fine black outlines and a black inked background — Drawing, Nocturne, © October 12, 1969. Designed by Suzie Zuzek (Agnes Helen Zuzek de Poo, American, 1920–2011) for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. (Key West, Florida). Brush and green watercolor, pen and black ink, graphite on cream paper. 38.1 × 56.1 cm (15 × 22 1/16 in.). Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Gift of The Original I.P. LLC, 2019-11-7. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.

Spotlight On: Suzie Zuzek | The Stories Behind the Prints

Between 1962 and 1985, prolific textile designer Suzie Zuzek (1920-2011) created over 1,500 designs for Key West Hand Print Fabrics in Key West, Florida, many of which were used by fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer. Cooper Hewitt’s forthcoming exhibition “Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Prints That Made the Fashion Brand” will feature more than 35...

Post Type

Learning Lab

Design It Yourself: Design a Repeating Pattern Inspired by Suzie Zuzek

In this collection, explore the colorful, nature-inspired pattern designs of Suzie Zuzek, whose vibrant prints appeared on Lilly Pulitzer fashions in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s. Follow along to design your own repeating pattern.

Post Type

Learning Lab