Indian Textiles Meet Long Island Design: Susan Calabria’s Creative Partnership

Amidst the quiet hum of looms in a vibrant Indian textile mill, Long Island designer Susan Calabria’s creations come to life. Renowned for her textile expertise, Susan, of Susan Calabria Design, collaborates with Indian artisans halfway across the globe. She meticulously designs and perfects intricate textiles, much like she did during her tenure as Creative Director at textile giants F. Schumacher & Co. and The House of Scalamandré. This partnership allows Susan to honor the rich heritage of Indian craftsmanship by showcasing the beauty of blending tradition with her modern aesthetics and original designs.

Throughout her career, Susan has collaborated with many textiles mills worldwide, each known for their unique specialties. Whether it was the quality of the fabric, the colors of the yarns, or a certain technique, carefully selecting the right mill for the project has always been paramount to Susan. Her relationships with Indian mills began during her time at Scalamandre in 2010. Here she had fallen in love with their mastery of weaving, printing, and embroidering. Their use of silks and linens as the fabric base deeply resonated with Susan, leading her to frequently choose to work with these mills for future projects.

After her time at Schumacher & Co., Susan decided to pursue her own business, continuing her collaboration with Indian mills. She respected their quality and knew they were the best to represent her work. Since founding Susan Calabria Design, Susan’s work has received high praise as she creates standout pieces for mills and clients alike. She still works with the same Indian mills today.

Susan’s process for creating a custom textile design begins with initial development. She either hand-draws her layout or creates it digitally. Once finalized, she determines whether the design will be a print, woven fabric, embroidery, or a combination. Susan then sends the design to the mill, which formats it for a repeating pattern. Through email and video calls, they collaborate until the design meets both aesthetic and technical standards. After approval, the mill produces a prototype, or "quality" sample, which is refined through additional feedback. Once the quality is confirmed, Susan explores various color combinations by sending yarn and paint samples to the mill for color trials. After reviewing these samples, she selects the final colorways for production, and her designs are ready to be shared with the world.

“New concepts all derive from traditional or antique versions of themselves.” says Susan. Finding inspiration from traditional Indian motifs has been Susan’s favorite part of this journey. Being able to balance the longstanding transitions of Indian craftsmanship with her modern aesthetic has allowed for textile designs authentic to Indian culture, as well as her personal style. An important element of the work of Susan Calabria Design that separates it from its competitors. Susan wants her work to be the best reflection of herself and her twenty-plus years of design experience, soulless, mass produced, assembly line textiles are the furthest thing from what she aims to achieve. Thankfully, her artistic vision and design standards have remained uncompromised to this day.

While a global collaboration does come with its fair share of issues, Susan believes in maintaining a true partnership with her partners in India. Despite the occasional challenges of language barriers or timing, Susan is excited to reveal her future projects soon. You can expect big announcements from Susan Calabria Design very soon!