Dress2Party: Meet the women behind Leeds's new evening wear shop selling gorgeous prom and party dresses

Owned by childhood friends Samantha Cohen and Vanessa Kenley, Dress2Party specialises in selling high quality and trendy dresses for teens and bridesmaids, but neither of them began their careers with that line of work in mind. Speaking to the YEP, Samantha said: “We’re actually both lawyers by training. We got chatting one day and [Vanessa] said she was thinking about doing something with dresses, and I said I’d wanted to do that for ages, so we immediately got to work and found a small store in North London together.”

Kickstarting Dress2Party within a few short weeks, both Samantha and Vanessa were shocked by the quick success of their business, riding the wave of the UK’s ‘prom boom’ that followed in America’s footsteps.

“Originally prom wasn’t that big in this country,” explained Samantha. "It used to be more like a school disco or party, and the girls would wear short dresses. When we started we were really worried about selling longer dresses and what customers would make of them, but now I’d say things are different and prom is all about the long dress – prom has become a proper lifecycle event for girls.”

Now, with a superstore open in Liverpool and a new Leeds store under their belt, it’s clear that the pair’s dream of creating an evening wear empire is fast becoming a reality. However despite the critical acclaim both Samantha and Vanessa remain true to their original aim: to make prom a memorable and special night for all.

“A lot of the girls who come in with their mums and grandparents, they might be body conscious or nervous about changing rooms. We want them to come in and have an amazing experience and there are loads of sizes for them to try on, because that doesn’t happen everywhere and I think that’s really sad. It’s really important to us that whatever size you are, you come in and you have amazing choices.”

Tucked away on Queens Square in Leeds city centre, the new Dress2Party shop stocks a huge range of designer prom dresses and formal wear gowns, combininDress2Party’s own label’s designs with a range of handpicked American imports.

"We’d wanted to launch our own label for a few years,” said Samantha. "During lockdown we finally got the chance to work on it, and now it’s the main label we’re selling alongside the American labels we were known for.

“It’s very exciting for us, but what I always say about us is that the dresses are very glamorous, but we're not, and we instill that in our staff. It’s got to be fun and it’s got to be friendly, and people have got to trust you to help them find that perfect dress. It's just about creating a really nice and memorable experience.”

Find Dress2Party’s Leeds store on 14 Queens Square, Leeds, LS2 8AJ.