When not at a “Mommy and Me” class, Dawn Baker is a superstar in her own right in the world of fashion and retail. “We’re all celebrities in our own right, even mothers. Mothers have the hardest job” she said. Her resume includes working with greats such as Calvin Klein and Donna Karen, both of which she gives thanks to. “I was very grateful; I watched and learned. If you don’t pay attention to the details,” she goes on, “if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work.”
After studying fashion in college, Dawn moved to New York where her first job was working at J.Crew, where she learned the business model and all about catalog sales. After the World Trade Center, Dawn realized that she was not content working as a stylist and she decided to go in a different direction, but stay within the fashion industry, which she loved.
“I’d resigned myself from the fashion business and had time to think about life after 9/11” she continues. At the time, she was already married and had a 2-year-old daughter. “I knew I wanted to work for myself, set my own schedule, and spend time with my family. That’s what really made me go back to manufacturing. Your directory is retail; you make a better place.”
Her big break came when she worked at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which she earned a Daytime Emmy nomination. She has since moved on to open up two boutiques, titled dawn baker and happy LA, both located in Southern California. Just this year, she launched a collection of essentials, named dawn baker.
The collection is available at her two stores as well as online at www.dawn-baker.com. In addition to her experience as a store owner, buyer and stylist, Baker is sought after for her “closet therapy” in which she helps women and men “cleanse their closets.”
“It is really about how it fits on you” she comments. “I have things people have from their grandmothers. Look at these people who buys vintage. It’s more about how it feels. It helps to have a clean closet, clean head, and a clean mind.”
