Rising Stars: Meet Dawn Dunning

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Dunning.

Dawn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My background is in fashion – I went to design school at Parsons in NYC, after working as an assistant designer for a couple of years and then having my own clothing line (WEEVIL) for five years, I wanted to get out of fashion pretty badly.  An old co-worker was working for an ad agency and asked if I wanted a job as a creative and I figured I would give it a shot so that’s how I got started working for brands creating costumes clothing lines etc… I worked as a designer/costumer/creative director in New York for about 20 years before recently making my way to LA. Garment production is very difficult and expensive in New York and there is not much space for dye houses and factories so LA has allowed me to work closely with many different artisans, dye houses and small family-owned and operated factories…

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s never a smooth road hahaha but I learn so much from every project – you just never know what will work best until you try it. I have gone through a lot of trial and error with processes and I still do but that’s the beauty of growing and learning – it just gets pretty wild when you are on a tight budget or timeline but I try to keep the mindset is there is almost always a way to make it happen.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a creative director, designer and fabricator – I design and produce clothing, soft goods, costumes, uniforms and spaces for brands and individuals. I specialize in domestic sustainable and local ethical production.  I started working with people who wanted to start clothing or product lines because doing low minimum domestic production is really inaccessible… low minimum production is usually considered 250 pieces while we can start out with as low as 50 pieces. I collaborate with other artists, craftsman, fabricators, etc under the collective umbrella of my studio in DTLA.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Since covid a lot more is being produced domestically to avoid supply chain hold-ups etc… So hopefully, this trend will continue. Many people changed careers or reevaluated their lives during lockdown and decided to pursue clothing or product lines that they always wanted to do but never had time to focus on.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: dawndunning.com
• Instagram: @ddbambikiller + @bazaarnoir.nyc
• Other: bazaarnoir.nyc

Image Credits:
Aurelia D’Amore @aureliadamorephotography Cannon CES 2019