Sustainable Style

Suki launches a thrifty line with reclaimed threads.

By Kari Wethington


Photograph by Jonathan Willis

The edgy older sister to Hyde Park’s crop of well-bred boutiques, Suki has long supported left-of-center labels (Dries Van Noten, Philip Lim, Vivienne Westwood) as well as local designers. But this fall, in collaboration with DAAP student Jenifer Sult, owner Summer Skrzelowski presents J Sult for Goose, another line by the store’s private label. It’s not the first time Sult has created something out of nothing: in 1998, Suki carried J Sult, a line of reconstructed vintage shirtdresses and prom-wear. The new line features pieces crafted out of items Sult and Skrzelowski hand-pick from local thrift stores.

Skrzelowski says the pieces that inspired them—kimonos, men’s pajama pants worn with heels—all shared a comfy-chic aesthetic. “It’s about pulling things apart and putting them back together,” says Sult, who scouted Valley Thrift in Newport and St. Vincent de Paul in Spring Grove Village. The collection (priced $200 and under) includes pencil skirts made of men’s trousers and skirts and tops made from cotton jersey men’s Ts. “I like to think about what a garment feels like when you put it on,” says Sult. “What parts of your personality it unlocks, or what part of your mood it opens up.” Skrzelowski seconds that emotion. “I think Cincinnati is kind of a bohemian town,” she says. “You certainly have your uptight, preppy ladies, but they’re not our customer. You don’t see a lot of high, high heels here—people want to be laid back.”

Suki, 3456 Michigan Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 751-7854, www.sukicincinnati.blogspot.com

Originally published in the October 2008 issue.