About Dawn Stretton Dawn Stretton graduated from Leeds College of Art and Design in 1984, with the ambition of one day working as a designer for a Paris haute couture ‘house’. After a brief and successful freelance career, she started her own label in 1986. The original design room was situated in the Queen’s Arcade Leeds, with Dawn and a part-time machinist. Around that time the Leeds nightclub scene started to thrive and the Dawn Stretton label grew in and around it. In March 1990 she moved to the Corn Exchange Shops in Leeds, falling in love with the architecture and ambience of the newly refurbished Victorian building. Soon afterwards the design studio in the nearby Exchange Quarter was opened. From those humble beginnings, the label has evolved into a worldwide fashion label dedicated to eveningwear and special occasionwear for women. Dawn is inspired by different periods and trends of fashion history, notably the female Hollywood movie icons of the early 20th Century, and her dresses reflect the striking image portrayed by these archetypal strong female ‘stars’. With over 15 years of fashion design and retail experience Dawn has been committed to providing the highest level of quality in manufacture and customer service. This has guaranteed Dawn’s acknowledged success with the world’s most astute fashion buyers in addition to her regular clientele. “I endeavour to produce the highest standard of haute couture at ready to wear prices and create dresses that make today’s women feel stunning and confident, leaving their own natural beauty to shine through.”