When socialite-turned-designer Lilly Pulitzer’s shift dresses soared in popularity in the early 1960s, their bright, whimsical prints made them instantly recognizable. Yet few people knew that most of those prints came from a Florida company, Key West Hand Print Fabrics, and from the hand of artist Suzie Zuzek.

Zuzek’s imaginative creations fueled Lilly Pulitzer’s rise to success over the next two decades. The combination of sportswear styling with playful, distinctive patterns defined a uniquely American style favored by such fashion icons as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Zuzek’s whimsical, refined designs range from flora and fauna from Zuzek’s Key West world and around the planet to fantastical designs from her vivid imagination.

After a corporate restructuring in the 1980s, the Key West archive of more than 2,000 copyrighted textile designs were stored in a Florida warehouse, until they were purchased in 2016 by The Original I.P. , LLC. A tiny fraction of those designs are shown on this site.

The Original I.P., led by co-managers Meg Shinkle and Becky Smith, is working for the recognition of the creative genius of Zuzek through exhibitions of her original watercolor drawings for the designs that are part of American fashion history.