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The best designers you’ve never heard of.

Jean Pool
At Dahveese Couture, everyday denim takes an alluring turn when combined with silk, cashmere, and taffeta.

Names: Darnell “Jewell” Davis and Belinda Harris
Ages: 31 and 25
Business: Dahveese Couture (Dahveese.com)
Location: Bootwyn, PA

What prompted you to team up and launch the Dahveese label in 2003?
Davis: When I was showcasing some of my new designs in Las Vegas, I met Belinda, who was also there on business. We talked about fashion and our backgrounds, and when we got home, we started building Dahveese Couture.

What are your backgrounds in fashion design?
Harris: Darnell comes from a family of artists, and through them, he acquired a great skill for design, sewing, and the arts. I also had a natural talent for the field, but I owe a lot of my business skills to having a customer-service, modeling, and pageant background.

What’s it like working as a team?
Davis: It can be a real challenge for two strong-minded and ambitious people. We do bump heads now and then, but fortunately, we have similar tastes about 95 percent of the time.

What are your future plans in terms of distribution?
Harris: A number of department stores and boutiques will be carrying the Dahveese label this spring, and we’re currently showcasing our fashions on our website, which will also be set up for e-commerce next year.

Have you had any high-profile or celebrity customers?
Davis: We’re currently designing for Nicky Hilton. She loves our collection, and after seeing the website, she was thrilled to have us design for her. Because her schedule’s so hectic, she provided us with her favorite colors and left it up to us to design a fabulous garment. In fact, we’ll soon be designing a collection of dresses based around Nicky’s style.

Is there a particular item that you consider to be your signature?
Davis: Our signature fabric is denim, and we like to combine it with fine silks, cashmere, taffeta, and other elegant materials. Our most popular items are our denim-and-silk pants, our jeans, our silk-and-cashmere tops, and our silk skirts.

How would you describe the Dahveese customer?
Davis: Bold, beautiful, and unique. Our customers aren’t afraid to defy the trends, and they understand that fashion should reflect their personality.

What do you envision for Dahveese in the future?
Harris: We want Dahveese to become a household name, to open a chain of our boutiques, and to expand the brand into handbags, shoes, and jewelry. We’re also planning to launch a menswear line, as well as a children’s collection.

Do you have any style icons or favorite designers?
Davis: I have a lot of respect for other designers, but I try to create designs that aren’t inspired by other people’s work.

What inspired the name “Dahveese”?
Davis: The name was inspired by my last name and was originally spelled “Davís.” But we decided to change the spelling and logo to reflect the pronunciation of the word.

What sorts of pieces are you designing now, and how have your designs changed over the years?
Harris: We started out designing what we thought the industry wanted, but now we’re focused on setting the trends, and we take pride in being unique.

This Silk Belted Top ($348) and Linen-and-Silk-Panel Flare Pants ($385) are the epitome of laid-back luxe.

The designer’s Olive Cotton Short Jumper ($210) puts a sexy spin on safari chic.

Dahveese’s trademark Silk-Pocket Flare Jeans ($201) are combined with a Gold-and-Rose Silk-Button Top ($462).

Photo Credits: USAFashionShows

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