Children’s clothes designer Dawn Clarke helps brides incorporate fabrics from treasured family items to beautiful new outfits for bridesmaids, flower girls and page boys.

Dawn designs and hand-sews the outfits, carefully stitching together ‘something old’ and ‘something new’ as mentioned in the traditional wedding rhyme to create something that’s bespoke, sustainable and much more meaningful for the bride and groom.

Dawn says: “Weddings are all about memories; remembering old ones as well as making news ones to cherish. I help brides include and honour people and family traditions within the outfits I create, so that on their big day they can feel close and connected to what matters most.”

Previous commissions include flower girl dresses made from family wedding gowns, such as the powder blue dress pictured that is overlaid with a polka dot organza.

On another occasion, a grandfather’s blue and grey herringbone tweed jacket was reworked into a little boy’s waistcoat and vintage inspired shorts. The original breast pocket became a front pocket on the shorts to keep the feature and nod to the history of the garment.

Dawn creates timeless designs of the highest quality so her slow-fashion pieces can be enjoyed for years as they pass down family generations. She prides herself on ethical, sustainable work processes, including re-using and repurposing fabrics where possible and sourcing the vast majority of materials in the UK.

Known as the ‘children’s couturier’, a selection of Dawn’s current collection can now be found at luxury bridal boutique, Brides of Winchester.

Laura Ward, who owns Brides of Winchester, says: “Dawn’s adorable pieces complement the standard of workmanship that our couture wedding dresses offer. It’s an absolute delight to be able to introduce Dawn to our discerning brides and ensure their chosen outfits for little ones will receive the same attention to detail and love in each stitch as their own dress.”

The bridal boutique also offers wedding gowns by designers including Nicola Anne, Suzanne Neville and Charlie Brear.

Dawn’s love for designing and hand-making unique clothes began when she was a child creating outfits for her one-armed doll, Lisa. However, it took a few decades of making outfits for herself, family and friends before she realised that sewing beautiful bespoke pieces was more than just a hobby.

In 2017, spurred on by her sewing mentor – a former pattern drafter for UK fashion designer Zandra Rhodes – Dawn decided to launch Dawn Clarke Designs.

Dawn specialises in bespoke, tailor-made pieces for babies and children aged up to six years. Prices start from approximately £200 and items usually take about three weeks to design and create. She lives and works in Hartley Wintney.