Entrepreneurial Spotlight: Souchi
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Ladies, this is not your mother’s twin set. Nor is it your boyfriend’s pullover, or the J. Crew sweater that’s been hiding in your closet since college. We’re talking cashmere – Souchi cashmere. Our favorite cashmere brand is sold in top-notch boutiques nationwide and on www.souchi.com.
Souchi is the love-child of Suzi Johnson. While in design school in San Francisco, the impossibly hip Suzi took a knitting class. Soon her designs were turning the heads of friends and strangers alike. In 1997, Souchi was born.
What makes Souchi so special? Suzi hand-looms all of the sweaters she makes out of 100% cashmere that she personally picks for color and quality. Her designs are fantastic: comfy sweaters, flutter-sleeved shells, halters, dresses, and hoods. Basics include scarves, hats, briefs and bikinis—wait, briefs and bikinis? But of course! Who can’t use a cashmere bikini (see photo at right) for poolside? And yes, it can get wet.
In 2004, Suzi opened her flagship Souchi store on NW 23rd Street in Portland, Oregon where she sells an intoxicating mix of her own designs and hand-picked pieces by other small and hard-to-find designers. She also sells her cashmere creations to dozens of boutiques (hopefully one near you!)
We recently stopped by to learn more about Suzi’s adventures as the Queen of Cashmere.
What’s your sign?
Libra.
Are you a Libra at heart?
Yes, oh yes. (Author’s note: libras are known for being elegant, charming and full of good taste, a description that fits Suzi to a ‘t’!)
When did you know you wanted to pursue fashion design, professional knitting, and Souchi?
That’s a hard question to answer. I went to school for clothing design. I thought after I graduated I would open my own store and sell a mix of things I made, and other people’s designs. I took a knitting class in school; one day I was wearing one of my own pieces and a friend who owned a boutique asked me about it and ordered on the spot. Souchi was born after that.
What drives you each day – the “fire in your belly?”
I still wake up each day loving what I do. I love coming up with new designs and now that I have a Souchi retail store I especially love seeing people’s reaction to my work. In a wholesale environment there is no immediate response to your designs. I love being able to see firsthand how the customer is responding to the fit, shape, and colors I choose.
What is the best investment you ever made?
A $500 used knitting loom – this was the $500 I used to start my business. I still have the loom. I don’t think I’ll ever give it away!
When you were young, what did you think you would do professionally?
As a child I always drew and loved clothing. Once I hit high school I got more into fashion and knew it was what I wanted to do. I always knew I would own my own business.
Most memorable job (that wasn’t your own venture)?
My job at Chanel taught me about quality and that people were willing to spend money on timeless designs that [are] well-made. Chanel gave me the notion of brand and quality, and my understanding of those two things helped shape Souchi. My first retail job ever was at Contempo Casuals. I made about $3.95! They did a great job teaching me the basics of selling – how to add on, build outfits and relate to customers. I still use selling skills I learned while I was working there.
What is the hardest choice you have ever had to make?
Mostly I just go with things; it’s my personality type. When I decided to move to Portland and open a Souchi retail store I had only spent about five days in the city over the course of about five years! It was a big decision.
What is the best part about owning your own business?
The best part of owning your own business is that it teaches you ownership. At the end of the day there is nobody but yourself to blame for your decisions. It teaches you to trust your instincts and make better choices.
What is the worst part?
The worst part of owning your own business is that when something does go wrong, there is no one else to blame!
Night owl or early bird?
Both! Until recently I never used an alarm clock and still woke up every morning at 7AM. Really it is the middle part of the day that makes me most unhappy.
Role model for success (or inspiration)?
I admire the designer Ann Demeulemeester because she is who she is! She is a very consistent designer but her name is not well-known—she doesn’t need everyone to know who she is. Still, her designs are in great shops and are stylish and very well-made.
Signature look?
I want to make clothing that people can wear all the time and that will get better and more lush with age. Souchi is classic – we always have a cardigan sweater and a comfortable pullover. But the quality of our yarn and our beautiful colors are what really set us apart.
Guilty pleasure?
Red velvet cake and shoes.
Material item you can’t leave home without?
My Jeanine Payer rings. I have to take them off to knit, but I can’t leave home without them. They were my birthday present to myself last year. She makes beautiful jewelry inscribed with phrases and proverbs. I have two rings that say “it is when I forget to judge that I remember to live.”
Favorite way to spend a morning?
It would be so perfect if my mornings actually worked out like this! The ideal would be to get up, get a chai, and take Billy (my dog) for a six-mile hike. And I would not care if it was raining.
Book, movie or art that inspires you?
Art: I love Egon Schiele and Francesco Clemente.
Book: I have a vintage Pucci book that I look at all the time and a book of wallpaper from the 1930s and 40s.
Movies: Anything old and black and white. The Birds. North by Northwest.
Favorite travel spot for R&R?
Italy. Southern, southern, southern, southern Italy. The Aeolian Islands or Formentera.
Most admirable quality a woman can have?
Honesty.
Interested in Souchi? Check out souchi.com or visit her shop at 807 NW 23rd Street in Portland, Oregon.