Ten Minutes with Seema Sudan of LiaMolly

The new fall collection from knitwear line liaMolly allows you to put a little New Orleans style into your closet without having to flash anything other than your credit card. Designer Seema Sudan designed the new collection in homage to the city’s Mardi Gras Indians. As Seema puts it, they’re a “deep source of inspiration because of their skill, craft, and community.” From shawl-colored anoraks flaunting intarsia hummingbirds to jackets featuring a mix of haberdashery elements and energetic patterns to romantically draped cardigans, liaMolly is definitely not your mother’s sweater set. Read on to learn more about this line of “artistic” knitwear.

Oligoville: Tell us about your brand and how it is different from your competition.

Seema: liaMolly is an indie knitwear brand. We do artistic knits, and we’re based in New Orleans.

Oligoville: How did your career or interest in design begin?

Seema: I began knitting at age nine and never stopped.  Knitting has always appealed to me because it has very few limitations; you can knit with anything. Painting and sculpting in stitches is what I try to do in my pieces.

Oligoville: What’s your design inspiration?

Seema: Nature,music, science, ancient cultures, history, really just about anything. Recently drawings by Liam—my five year old—are inspiring me. With titles like “smiling clam under the sea” and “mad cat in a box,”  they look like a calligraphy of sorts.

Oligoville: Describe a typical day for you.

Seema: I can’t say I have a typical day.  Design and family and New Orleans all make up a typical day.  My best days begin by walking my dog Gumbo (a Jack Russel-pug mix) through Audubon Park, making breakfast with my kids (Liam-5 and Molly-11), then talking about liaMolly with my husband/biz partner, and then anything goes, like riding my Vespa down St. Charles to get to my studio. It couldn’t get any better than that!

Oligovllle: Describe your fashion style.

Seema: Jeans, vintage, maybe you could say “eclectic comfort,”  and my favorite cardigan in tow!

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned from that.

Seema: The economy has certainly affected our business, but being in a place like New Orleans filled with optimism and community support, we’re making it through and growing faster than we thought.  Being small means we are more flexible and agile which has saved us in the crash—that and a little help from our friends.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Seema: I am making a living doing what I love, and I don’t have to give up time with my family to do it.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years and some goals that you have for your brand.

Seema: I’d like to officially launch liaMolly kids and a men’s collection and maybe some home pieces.

Oligoville: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Seema: Do what you love in a place you love! And collaborate with people!!

Oligoville: What song never fails to make you happy?

Seema: “Hey Pocky Way,” a New Orleans classic.