When some U.S. tourists go to Italy, they come home with a few photos and some souvenirs. Susie Mobley went to Florence, met all the artisans in her guidebook, and came home with a new business.
Mobley debuted Susu Co. in July, about four years after her first trip to Tuscany. Susu is starting as a direct-to-consumer brand that celebrates Italian accessories, including ceramics, home goods, and fine jewelry.
The career woman from Athens, Ga., says she had long dreamed of world travel when working and raising her children. Then a fateful overseas visit turned into a short move and then into Susu—a word that blends her childhood nickname with the Italian meaning of “up, up.”
“Honey,” Mobley drawls, “that’s my Southern coming out. Honey, I’ve been a lot of iterations. I got out of business school, worked for an Atlanta law firm as an attorney recruiter, traveling nationwide. Then I managed my own commercial real estate business while I was at home with my kids. Then I ended up as director of development for a nonprofit.”
Mobley describes these Giuliano Ricchi enamel bracelets ($125) as perfect for spring—or any time you want a fresh, playful pop of color.
Her Italy trip included a guidebook to local artists, and Mobley bought from them for her own use. Then, of course, people started asking her where she had gotten that wonderful labyrinth necklace or those cute heart rings. Susu was born.
The name also reflects Mobley’s hope that her new company is authentic, meaningful, and respectful of the Italian makers she now calls friends. You see it as well in her website’s catchphrase “Ciao, y’all.” It’s a fitting motto when you have a Southern founder who says she is still learning Italian and how to use WhatsApp to talk to her artists.
“I wake up every morning to WhatsApp messages from Italy,” Mobley says. “All of my artists are in Florence. My website designer is an expat living in Spain. There’s a six-hour time difference. It’s been an adventure.”
Susu’s first collection features work from seven Florentine artists, each bringing generations of experience and vision to their craft. One of Mobley’s favorites is Marina Calamai, who creates whimsical jewelry that uses traditional materials with unexpected symbolism.
The Giuliano Ricchi Iris Bracelet ($125) honors Florence with the iris as its symbol and comes from the artist’s workshop near the Basilica di Santo Spirito.
Another is Oro Zucchino, a husband-and-wife team that reimagines jewelry by combining upcycled ceramics with handcrafted metal elements. The result is sustainable jewelry pieces that honor the past while looking forward, Mobley says.
Then there’s Paolo Miniati, who specializes in lost-wax bronze jewelry that uses ancient Italian methods. Miniati uses organic substances such as lava-burned wood to create his earthy jewelry, which despite its Etruscan past still feels contemporary and extremely relevant, Mobley says.
“I moved to Florence for four months and immersed myself in the world of Italian craft. Susu Co. is the result—a love letter to the artists, the city, and the courage it takes to begin again,” Mobley says.
Mobley says she personally selects each piece to feature on the Susu website and Instagram, where she shows how to wear the jewelry, tells stories about its makers, and shares her memories of Italy. The jewelry also is made to order and available in limited quantities—requiring her customers to be willing to wait for something great.
“I’m going to Italy again in September and I can’t wait,” Mobley says. “I’m drawn to these pieces. I’m drawn to these artists. I’m drawn to the beauty. And I want to share that.”
Top: Susie Mobley recently debuted Susu Co. as a home, accent, and jewelry company that focuses on Italian artisans. (Photos courtesy of Susu Co.)