Cooper Hewitt says...
Agnes Helen Zuzek acquired her nickname, Suzie, while working as a baker for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) during World War II. Raised on a dairy farm in Gowanda, New York, she had always loved to draw and after the war she was able to attend the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on the G.I. Bill. Having graduated first in her class in textile design, she was able to find employment with a Manhattan textile designer before marrying John dePoo, a Key West native. Following her marriage to dePoo, she relocated with him to Key West in 1954.
Beginning in 1962, Zuzek worked as a staff designer at the screen print company Key West Hand Print Fabrics and for the next twenty-three years produced whimsical watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings that incorporated elements from the natural world, including flowers, plants, shells, and a wide range of animals. The American socialite and entrepreneur Lilly Pulitzer developed a close partnership with Key West Hand Print Fabrics, eagerly purchasing Zuzek’s designs for her fashions and home accessories. Zuzek was the most prolific designer at Key West Hand Print Fabrics, designing over 80% of the patterns that went into production and supplying Pulitzer with most of her signature fabrics. [1]
After retiring in her mid-sixties, Zuzek continued working as a painter and sculptor until her death. Her work is included in several collections and has been shown in local exhibitions, including a major retrospective, “The Classic Romantic: The Legacy of Agnes Helen Zuzek,” presented in 2012 by the Studios of Key West after Zuzek’s death the previous year. [2] Despite the commercial success of her designs, Zuzek remains relatively unknown. Decades later, Pulitzer acknowledged Zuzek’s contribution to the success of her brand, saying, “She constantly amused me, not only by the genius of her art but also the sheer number of designs she created…I believe Suzie’s talent and imagination in design should be recognized and honored by all who love ‘Lilly’.” [3]
[1] Tamison O’Connor, “Lilly Pulitzer Print Archive Rediscovered,” Business of Fashion, July 9, 2018, https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-bites/lilly-pulitzer-print-archive-rediscovered-suzie-zuzek.
[2] Elizabeth Howard, “Suzie dePoo: A Key West Treasure,” Streetlight Magazine, March 3, 2013, https://streetlightmag.com/2013/03/03/suzie-depoo-a-key-west-treasure.
[3] O’Connor, “Lilly Pulitzer.”
