Susan Abplanalp projects an excitement for textile and fashion design, that is interlaced with  cultural inspiration. Of Swiss decent, Susan grew up watching and learning from the steady hands of her mother and grandmother, both women who were well practiced in knitting and sewing. Susan's technique and cultural identity grew hand in hand as she learned to appreciate the craftsmanship in Swiss textile arts. In becoming a successful clothing designer, Susan became the third generation of textile artists, a line which began with her great-great-grandmother who created and sold woven goods outside of her Swiss home. In High School, as an athlete, Susan grew interested in the complexities of functional sportswear; clean, classic lines and a playful sexiness took root in Susan's aesthetic. She went on to pursue her bachelor's degree in Design from the University of California in Davis, and her talents led her to Emery Street where she found the space that she needed to bloom as an independent designer.

An ambitious Susan was hired by Karen Alexander of Emery Street, designer of Better Women's garments. It was there at Shady Grove Studio that Susan came to understand garment making from the bottom up; draping, cutting, sewing, and re-working garments for production. As her skill sets grew, Susan was promoted from assistant pattern maker to head designer and, eventually, owner. The years that she spent as Ms. Alexander's apprentice and friend were incredibly influential, and Susan has maintained many of her mentor's healthy business ideals - using local or in-house labor, creating long lasting relationships with vendors, and supporting community involvement to name a few.

Before her career led Susan to take over the Karen Alexander line and Emery Street Designs, she secured a job at GAP Inc where she spent a number of years managing major departments of Banana Republic and Old Navy. The job provided Susan with the final pieces of knowledge about the garment industry that she would need to work alone successfully. She worked with merchants, production specialists, designers, models and technicians around the world to make garments of exceptional quality. Susan's international travels to fabric mills and production facilities during this time further educated her in the areas of garment construction, fabric weaving, dye house finishing, and sewing lines.

Her time spent away from Emery Street cemented in Susan the business savvy and technical skills needed to become a successful independent designer. She took her ambition to create an ethical, responsible business back to Emery Street Inc and explored new design markets, like functional, flattering and fun scrubs, as well as post operative speciality garments. And so she has come full circle, committing her excellent aesthetics and intense passion for sustainability and responsibility to the very business that taught her such ideals.