Susi Bellamy Collaborates with That's Not My Age

Wearable art: Susi Bellamy’s beautiful silk scarves

After many years working as a fashion editor and freelance stylist, Susi Bellamy studied for an MA in fine art and then launched a small interiors business in her 50s. Since I first interviewed the designer in early 2020, her eponymous company has grown and grown. As well as a range of cushions, fabrics and wallpaper, this September she is relaunching her silk scarf collection.

Flat lay of our brand new silk satin scarves: Pink Foliage Silk Scarf, Azure Abstracts Silk Scarf and Grey Stucco Silk Scarf

‘Glorious colour ties all of my designs together from tertiary palettes to bolder, dramatic ones. The new scarf collection completely aligns with our home collection, ‘says Susi, ‘ It is wonderful to see how our patterns appear on such a luxurious floaty silk. Our new scarves have been printed on both sides so if the wind picks up or you leave the house in a hurry and knot your scarf around your neck it looks good if it flips. Some silk scarves have a lighter or unprinted side so can look unsightly if they flip over.’

It was lovely to catch-up with Susi (who has recently turned 60) and find out how business is going:

Hello Susi, what’s new?!

‘I now employ a full-time assistant as well as freelancers. We are an all-female British independent company. You can find our cushions at Liberty and Fenwick and we would love to have some stockists for our scarves moving forward. We have shown at trade fairs  in Paris and London, and I have had smaller showings in Florence and Suffolk which have also included my artwork. Since last time we spoke, we have added wallpaper, fabric, lampshades and Tuscan-inspired handmade scented candles to the range. I love the idea of sitting on the interface between fashion and interiors.

The main thread that runs through the entire collection is colour and this remains my passion. So much so that I now run the Colour Collective UK based in Newcastle (where my studio is) which is a not-for-profit organisation spreading the dissemination of colour information through science, art and other disciplines.

We have worked closely with Newcastle and Northumbria Universities and you would be amazed how much colour infiltrates so many areas of our lives! Collaborating is my favourite activity and we have recently created some gorgeous sofas featuring a marbled design for George Smith Furniture (the photograph below shows me sitting on one!), lampshades with Porta Romana, rugs with Christopher Farr  – and Claire Bingham from Peggy Jo used my fabric to make some fabulous coats. It is those connections that drive me forward and get me excited to work with talented home-grown makers and to see our patterns reimagined in a different form.

And, I still paint in a studio when I have time and the results are sometimes used for new designs."

 Susi and Lauren wearing their favourite silk scarves from the collection - Yellow Stripy Rose and Autumn Rose Marbled

 How to wear it

‘The beauty of patterned scarves is that when they are loosely tied around the neck they reveal different parts of the designs, in a folded effect. Our wider long scarves are super-generous in size so they work well as stoles for an evening dress; I wore one once with a little black dress to an event for a wonderful splash of colour. In fact, they’re so big that they can be tied into a halter top and worn with a pair of palazzo pants. But my favourite outfit would be a classic block-colour trouser suit with a longer scarf simply draped around the front.

I am actually more daring with colour now than I used to be. But I often add, say, two colourful items to an outfit rather than being top-to-toe in colour. I find that brighter colours elevate my complexion and suit me better than black, that makes me look sallow.

The important thing is to not treat scarves too preciously and to experiment with wrapping them around your neck in different ways, adding a burst of colour and pattern around your neckline. So, take jeans, and a brightly coloured sweater with maybe a sandy-coloured, classic mac and then add a colour pop.

The narrower long, thin scarves work well as head scarves and cummerbunds, you can thread one through a pair of jeans as a belt,  or tie it around a handbag in a soft bow.’

Susi wearing Pink Rose Marbled Silk Scarf

Wearable art

Inspired by her time living in Florence, Susi’s designs come from her original marbled papers or sections of her own abstract paintings. The silk scarves are all digitally printed and made in the UK, with hand-finished hems.

‘I tend to crop into my paintings to reveal the painterly strokes and mark making which have become the basis for many of my designs. In the scarf collection our Azure Abstracts and Grey Stucco are taken directly from artwork. A recent development with the designs is a series based on overlaying our signature marbling over a chintz design – these can be seen in our Pink and Blue Rose Marbled scarves as well as Autumn Rose.’

Susi painting in her studio on a larger canvas. The abstract designs are taken from crops and edits of her colourful paintings

And what are your plans for the future?

‘I’ve recently turned 60 and it’s definitely the decade to grab life and maybe tick off some things off your bucket list. Later this year venturing to Rajasthan on a photographic tour to explore the beauty and colour of the country, the photographer leading it, Donna de Mari, is someone I worked with in my fashion days at Condé Nast. Hopefully I will come back completely inspired. And, I’ve started doing Pilates and Zumba – so I’m fitter than I’ve ever been!’

Discover our luxurious silk scarves here

You can find Alyson on Instagram here and her brilliant blog - That's Not My Age