Ask Susan
These questions aim to give a more personal glimpse into Susan Dunn’s connection with her work and her aspirations for her brand, enhancing the narrative of dedication, passion, and vision behind Susan Dunn Luxury Collections.
Q: What inspires your work?
A: “Curiosity, more than anything. I have spent decades watching a single idea become a water-inspired universe, and I am still drawn forward by what has not yet been made. Water is the constant; the rest is the pleasure of discovering how it can be translated — into brass, into gold, into light, into scent — so that an ordinary moment of the day is quietly worth more.”
Q: Why water?
A: “Because my most peaceful hours have all been spent near it. My daily swim. The evening bath. The sound of a fountain before it comes into view. The ocean and its white water, waterfalls, streams, still lakes at first light. I have never encountered water that did not intrigue me or return me to myself. Solace per Aqua® — peace through water — is not a concept I arrived at. It is a life I have lived.”
Q: What defines true luxury?
A: “Originality first. Then materials, then the hand that works them, then rarity. True luxury is never assumed and never anonymous; it reveals itself in detail — the weight of a piece, the finish of an edge, the refinement no one was required to make. It is recognized rather than announced, and it creates the desire to keep, to collect, and to pass on.”
Q: Who do you design for?
A: “For the person who notices. Across every collection and every price, my clients share one trait: they sense that something is different before they can say why. They are drawn by beauty, comfort, and curiosity — and what holds them is how something makes them feel. I design for that moment of recognition, wherever it arrives.”
Q: How do you approach craftsmanship?
A: “My designs are deliberately difficult to make. They require master craftsmen who will hold a tolerance no one else would notice and refuse a compromise I would refuse myself. I find these artisans through years of research and, now and then, through what I can only call good fortune — one master introduces another. The search has never stopped, and I do not expect it to.”
Q: What role does wellness play in your collections?
A: “It is the condition of everything. If it does not feel good, I do not design it and I do not produce it. Every piece must earn its place through purpose — comfort in the hand or underfoot, mental solace, visual calm. Wellness in my collections is not a category or a claim. It is the reason the work exists.”
Q: Which creation is closest to your heart?
A: “The original Spa Slippers. They are where everything began, and I am wearing a pair as I answer this. I smile at the comfort they have brought to me, to my family, and to many thousands of others over the years. A design quietly loved for decades tells you everything you need to know about it.”
Q:What do you hope your legacy will be?
A: “I created Solace per Aqua® over many decades as a tribute to water. My hope is that the universe outlives me — that what began with one idea continues to evolve in the hands of those who understand its meaning and are committed to preserving its integrity. I would love to see Solace per Aqua® experienced in places around the world where design, water, wellness, and beauty come together. Not a brand that is simply extended, but a philosophy that continues to be practiced, for generations.”