For seamstress specializing in prom dresses, business is booming in Saginaw

Dari Wilson designed more than a dozen dresses worn by attendees at the Saginaw High School prom in May 2023, including this student's outfit (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com).Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI — For Dari Wilson, prom season never really ends.

The 26-year-old Saginaw Township woman wove more than a dozen of the dresses spotlighted in last month's Saginaw High School prom. In total, the self-taught seamstress created 20 dresses for teenagers in Bay City and even Grand Rapids, although much of her clientele was from her hometown of Saginaw.

While her first order for 2024 proms has yet to arrive, it likely won't be more than a few weeks before she begins planning for the next season, she said.

It's been nearly a decade since Wilson attended her own prom as a Bridgeport High School graduate in 2014. She said she ordered her dress online. Her business approach, she said, offers a more personal touch to an industry that services one of the most memorable points of the American teenage experience: attending prom.

She began down the road to joining that industry about four years ago, when her mother purchased Wilson a $20 sewing machine. Despite zero experience in the craft, Wilson quickly felt a natural pull toward seamstress work.

"It just kind of fell in my lap," she said.

Three years ago, her skill graduated to such a level that she decided to launch her own business selling her woven creations. While most of her work involves prom season, she also designs dresses and suits for weddings, "Sweet 16″ parties, and other events that call for a fancy get-up.

After designing and building about one dozen prom dresses in 2022, Wilson said she nearly doubled that output this year, essentially turning the craft into a full-time job.

"Word-of-mouth has been really helpful," Wilson said of the demand generated after more people learned she was responsible for some of the most dazzling dresses from the prior year's dance.

Wilson said she works closely with the women and men who request her handywork. While individual dresses involve up to five hours of seamstress work apiece, the envisioning and prep work often plays out over much of the academic year. For example, she received her first order in October 2022 for the May 2023 prom season.

Individual dresses and suits range in cost from $800 to $1,100, with the fabric and ornamental accessories largely determining which end of the cost spectrum Wilson's services land, she said.

Envisioning the final product becomes a collaborative effort between Wilson and her clients, she said. The teenagers’ input often determines the color scheme and style of the outfit.

"Some want a long train; some want a mermaid-style dress," Wilson said. "Some want rhinestones. I’ll give them some sketched options. They show me what they like, and we just go from there."

She works from a makeshift workspace in her home's basement. While sewing, she often plays music or listens to the TV in the background.

"Although, I try not to watch TV too much, because I get distracted," Wilson said.

She said she enjoys seeing the fruits of her labors in person. She attended the last two Saginaw High School prom meet-up events on Ojibway Island, where attendees gather first to launch their prom experience.

There, Wilson takes joy in seeing her clients fit inside her handiwork.

"It can be trying work, but in the end, seeing them in (the dresses and outfits) makes it all worth it," she said. "I love prom season. I love how people go all-out."

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