It was destiny. From teenagers hanging out with their shared passion for clothing and design in the 80’s in Auckland, to the obligatory OE to London, fate always seemed to throw Jules and Monique into the same place at the same time over the years. They resolved that when the time was right, they would open a shop together.

Monique returned to New Zealand before Jules, sporting her designs and being admired by her peers and friends back in Auckland. An appetite was established for the ranges that Jules sent to Monique to sell, which ended up being all the market research they needed to know the designs had found a following in New Zealand.

When Jules returned to New Zealand some years after Monique, the pair opened their first store in Ponsonby in 2007, naming it DALSTON after their suburb of residence in East London. They soon moved to Grey Lynn, and used the ample space to expand from stocking their own label to adding a curated selection of other coveted labels that shared the same values they did – slow, mindful fashion, quality made to last, from wardrobe staples to special pieces that would make their beloved customer community look and feel special.    

Dalston was always destined to be about more than fashion, so the duo happily responded to their customers’ desire not to go further afield than their local neighbourhood to shop for more than clothing. Jules and Monique broadened their products to include shoes, jewellery, accessories, gifts and other beautiful things - a curated offering of delightful items that are useful, gorgeous and again, help to make their customers feel special.

 

Monique says their popularity and longevity is because, “We are reliable in the quality and variety of what we offer, and in the personal service we provide; we have amazing loyal staff and customers. We dress people for their lives rather than for show."

Jules adds, “We design and curate garments and gifts that we love ourselves. Everything in Dalston is there because we believe it will make our customers feel special. We are about beautifully made garments that are treasured additions to a woman’s wardrobe that keep making her feel comfortable and special in them for a long time.”

Jules, Monique and their team bring great styling skills and product knowledge to their Grey Lynn lifestyle boutique, with a versatility that caters for a phenomenally wide age range, meeting the love and needs of the market. “It’s all about the person – what is right for them - and solving their problems, not pushing the product”.

At Dalston we pride ourselves on being a small business committed to producing quality ethical fashion that stands the test of time.

We are a small and dedicated team making clothes in our local workroom here in Auckland, New Zealand.

We partner with small owner-operated and family run local businesses to help us produce our garments. We love that we are helping to keep the local fashion manufacturing industry alive in New Zealand.

Our makers and suppliers are all within a 15km radius from our Grey Lynn store, so we visit them frequently.

Being a small business means we have lasting relationships with our various suppliers and makers – from fabric merchants, to pattern-makers, cutters, machinists, printers & distributors – we love our team!

Dalston is 100% co-owned by Jules Clark and Monique Jarvis.