UPDATE- Dara James and Dara James Designs made the cross country move from Reno Nevada to Wellington Florida in July 2022!
Dara James Designs proudly introduces new stock tie designs for the dressage show ring. Good news for dressage riders that the world of dressage fashion is changing rapidly to allow for more creativity, expression, design and color. Dara James Designs was born out of recognition that dressing for the show ring could be a lot more fun as well as more comfortable and easier to maintain.
Dara James Designs was founded by Dr. Susan Ward (using her middle and maiden names), a radiologist from North Carolina, who has lived on the West coast for many years in Reno, NV. After work (and sometimes before), Susan is an avid, amateur dressage rider, riding and showing for over 18 years. She and her daughter Erica also share a passion for sewing and they work together on the stock ties. At the hospital, Susan specializes in Breast Imaging and she got her start in equine fashion creating Pink quarter sheets and stock ties for the local Breast Cancer Awareness dressage show remembering a fellow dressage rider and friend. Since then, she has been making custom stock ties – responding to clients’ ideas with custom fabric choices and pins or beads. Listening to input from competitive riders, Dara James has also developed a brand new flat style tie with more color, beautiful fabrics and embellishments, and a lower, more comfortable collar.
Dara James Designs added unique and custom leather work in early 2016. Susan makes belts, spur straps, and bags all hand cut from hide and hand finished. Each leather piece is unique and many are works of art. Susan pushes herself to develop new techniques and combine knowledge learned from leather belt work during the construction of each one of a kind bag. Some of the leather pieces feature vintage or recycled hardware, in keeping with Susan's interest in vintage pins and belt buckles.
All Dara James Designs products are hand made to the highest quality level. A portion of proceeds will benefit breast cancer research.
Dara James Designs proudly introduces new stock tie designs for the dressage show ring. Good news for dressage riders that the world of dressage fashion is changing rapidly to allow for more creativity, expression, design and color. Dara James Designs was born out of recognition that dressing for the show ring could be a lot more fun as well as more comfortable and easier to maintain.
Dara James Designs was founded by Dr. Susan Ward (using her middle and maiden names), a radiologist from North Carolina, who has lived on the West coast for many years in Reno, NV. After work (and sometimes before), Susan is an avid, amateur dressage rider, riding and showing for over 18 years. She and her daughter Erica also share a passion for sewing and they work together on the stock ties. At the hospital, Susan specializes in Breast Imaging and she got her start in equine fashion creating Pink quarter sheets and stock ties for the local Breast Cancer Awareness dressage show remembering a fellow dressage rider and friend. Since then, she has been making custom stock ties – responding to clients’ ideas with custom fabric choices and pins or beads. Listening to input from competitive riders, Dara James has also developed a brand new flat style tie with more color, beautiful fabrics and embellishments, and a lower, more comfortable collar.
Dara James Designs added unique and custom leather work in early 2016. Susan makes belts, spur straps, and bags all hand cut from hide and hand finished. Each leather piece is unique and many are works of art. Susan pushes herself to develop new techniques and combine knowledge learned from leather belt work during the construction of each one of a kind bag. Some of the leather pieces feature vintage or recycled hardware, in keeping with Susan's interest in vintage pins and belt buckles.
All Dara James Designs products are hand made to the highest quality level. A portion of proceeds will benefit breast cancer research.