Encouraged by teachers and family, Susan Hable Smith’s artistic talents were realized at an early age. A lifetime of art education and training began with private art lessons in elementary school. Classes at the local college in her small Texas town honed her skills as an adolescent and influenced her decision to study painting in college.

Over the years, in addition to her education, Susan developed her hand and artistic eye through her work experiences and travels. She studied sculpture in Italy, where she was exposed to the forms and beauty of classical art. Susan’s job experience allowed her to explore art through differing mediums, to experiment with her likes and dislikes, and to embrace her own style. Working for young, female entrepreneurs in fashion and jewelry design made a lasting impression on Susan, and gave her the knowledge and confidence to start her own company.

Colors, textiles, and beauty discovered on a trek to Asia and South America granted her first hand inspiration and focus. These adventures convinced her that textile design was the natural translation of her artwork. Susan returned to New York to create art with fabric as her medium, and Katharine as her partner.

Simple, hand-drawn, and organic, Susan’s designs have become the Hable trademark. In her world, whimsical forms are combined with a unique color palette inspired by changing seasons and feelings, rather than trends. Her design process begins with the most mundane of moments: “I get inspiration from the simplest things…the flower market, my aunts photos form Big Thicket, my home town, a swatch of fabric, a knitted sweater, happiness brings inspiration-its emotional for me too…”