Suzi Park

Following on from my interest in Art at School, I took a Foundation Course in Art and Design and followed that with a 4 year BA (Hons) in Knitwear Design at Nottingham Trent University.  My career began in the Midlands in the knitwear industry, initially designing ladies knitwear for Jaeger.  I moved onto another knitwear company after three years.  I finally left my job in the Midlands, working for a yarn agent who sold fancy Italian yarns and French cotton and moved to Wales in 1990.

Whilst running my own digital embroidery business in Wales, for ten of those years I lectured part time at Carmarthen College on the BA Contemporary Textile course.  When my business closed in 2006, I was working on three projects there, which ran concurrently.  I co-wrote and ran a 5 year Foundation Degree in Textiles Technologies, Co-Project Managed a three year EU/Welsh Government funded project working with businesses in Wales in the Fashion and Textiles sector, and managed a pilot project, funded by Creative Skillset Cymru to design and deliver an Apprenticeship in Fashion and Textiles at the college.  The final project I worked on was to facilitate the design and development of a sample jacquard loom, which is now housed at the college.

One of my other duties at the college, through a Laura Ashley Foundation project, was to mentor recent graduates who wished to set up in business.  I mentored 6 students all together.  Two students per year for 3 years, something I really enjoyed.

After taking voluntary redundancy in 2015, I set up Make it in Wales.  We provide high end courses in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.  Working with designer-makers we design, develop and market one to four day courses in many various disciplines including, weaving, upholstery, dressmaking, creative embroidery and silver ring-making.