Designer chooses Belmont to open Dammi boutique
An upscale women’s clothing boutique with locally designed items became the latest addition to downtown Belmont last week. Veronica Pearson, a fashion designer who studied at the Art Institute of Charlotte, opened Dammi (pronounced “dah-mee”) at 1 Woodrow Ave., just off Main Street. The boutique is in the renovated front portion of a building occupied by Belmont Electrical Co.
“Dammi means `to give’ in Italian, and it was a saying I liked when I was stationed in Italy with the Air Force,” says Pearson. “I carry women’s ready-to-wear couture, items such as jackets, coats, capes, pants, handbags and jewelry. I designed everything in the store except the jewelry.” A Charleston native, Pearson began dreaming of a fashion career as a young girl, sketching dresses and designs at age 4.
Her grandmother taught her to sew when she was 5 or 6, and as a teenager, she worked in sales for Cato. Eventually, her eye for design promoted her to window dresser for several stores. Pearson joined the Air Force to help pay for college, and while working in information systems, used her time abroad to study fashion on the side. “In Paris, I went to fashion houses like Yves St. Laurent, and in London, to Sir Hardy Aimes,” she says.
“I asked questions about how they did things and got an opportunity to sit in on some of their classes. I visited lace makers in Italy and studied what women wore in Egypt. It was a great opportunity to learn.” Pearson settled in Baltimore after leaving the Air Force and studied at the University of Maryland-York. Saving money for a store she hoped to open one day, she worked in corporate human resources and designed on the side.