Born in Malaysia and raised in California, Benny Dam developed a strong penchant for clean, minimalistic design – which today defines his signature look – while discovering the intricacies of garment creation at a young age.  With a seamstress mother, he sculpted a unique personal design ethos and quickly garnered the skills necessary to bring it to life.

 

In 2009, Dam joined the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), where he earned a B.A. in Fashion Design and worked under the mentorship of industry professionals, learning to forge and refine a unique signature style.  His time at FIDM, coupled with his inherent passion and quest for reshaping womenswear, lay the foundation for his 2013 Debut collection, which went on to define the Benny Dam look.  Dam’s goal is to create forward-thinking designs with an emphasis on clean and bold details that can work their way into a modern woman’s wardrobe. He states, “I want women to feel special in my design and be able to incorporate it into their lifestyle.  A successful design should be both creative and accessible without intimidating the wearer; my work marries both of those concepts.”

 

Based out of his native Orange County, Dam’s goal is to grow his business in California.  “I want to keep production in the States,” Dam says – an important ethic he has acquired working as a patternmaker overseeing countless start-up companies doing production domestically.  He also asserts that the fashion industry is starting to see a wave of companies bringing production back to the States – seeing a troupe of East Coast brands transitioning to the West Coast as California becomes the country’s fastest-growing apparel manufacturing capital. Dam is insistent on being part of that.