Susanne Rützou
Designer with a sense of colour and texture
Susanne Rützou (b. 1965)
Susanne Rützou qualified as a fashion designer from The Margrethe School in 1988 and for many years played a key role in the Danish fashion scene, initially as Chief Designer for Bruuns Bazaar and later in her own name. However, she soon lost interest in the fashion business with its constant need to move onto the next big thing and its intrinsic premise of discarding the ideas of last year before this year was even over. The pleasure of using textiles and a sound sense of colours and materials, however, are faithful travelling companions, while her desire to be creative remains intact. Since 2013 she has thus worked freelance for companies such as Georg Jensen Damask. She also works with other types of materials that lead her in a sculptural and functional direction. She has most recently begun working with ceramics.
About our cooperation
For us the choice of Susanne Rützou was clear-cut with regard to further developing its scarf collection. Owner of Silkeborg Uldspinderi, Jesper C. Olsen, says: “We share the same perception of quality, in addition to which her subtle yet exclusive mode of expression is also something which appeals to us, as we wish to create products that last for many years.” Susanne Rützou adds: “For me, Silkeborg Uldspinderi stands for affection for – and a somewhat nerdy relationship to – the material. This results in a reverent approach that produces something that’ll last for many years, thus preparing the ground for a classic; for something you take to heart and cherish like a member of your family. In addition, it’s important that the finished product reflects both parties, which I think we’ve also managed to achieve,” she concludes.
Warmth for body and soul
Susanne Rützou cannot imagine a season in which she does not use at least one of her many scarves; they go with her everywhere. She has therefore produced two scarves for Silkeborg Uldspinderi that each reflect her personality, but which are also an expression of the utility value a scarf has for the designer, who switched from the breathless world of fashion to a profession that creates things which last and which you can take to heart and appreciate like a cherished member of the family.
A common focus for the two designs has been to create a feminine expression that is practical in everyday life. The feminine touch is rooted in the loose weave that creates a feathery feeling that is warm and soft, and which gives an intrinsic feeling of exclusivity. Something that is wrapped around your neck in a protective manner, yet which can be folded any way you like.
One scarf is called Rustic Border. It is based on her love of authentic, unpretentious and pared down expression. “It’s more of a feeling than a scarf,” says Susanne Rützou when she has to explain how she approached the design process. “It’s like a subtle sanctuary of embrace and security. It isn’t loud and is most of all something you do for yourself: a warm luxury that points inwards rather than outwards,” she continues.
The other scarf, Flow, taps, to an even greater extent, into the designer’s ability to play with colours and is more of a visual supplement to the wardrobe. Susanne Rützou explains that “colours affect us at a subconscious level and the effect of playing with the mutual psychology of colours, whereby you can create different moods depending on how you put them together, is an eternal source of inspiration.” The striped pattern creates a vivid colour spectrum, whilst the abrupt stripes, both narrow and broad, ensure a serene expression when you wear it around your neck. With a size of 70 x 230 cm, Flow is also ideal as a warm and cosy shawl indoors during the cold winter months or outside at the beach and on the patio on a cool summer evening.
