Dress Designer Speaks Out After Students Claim She Ruined Their Prom

After weeks of criticism from customers nationwide, Dejza Stevenson said she's ready to speak her truth.

The 23-year-old Dallas designer said her work speaks for itself.

"I hand sew every piece of applique that's on the dress," she said.  "It's always been a passion of mine, making people feel good."

But Tonyce Govan said the designer made them feel anything but good, in fact, she was left in tears.

"There was no phone call from Dejza. I did not have a number to reach Dejza, no type of communication," her mom said.

After paying the designer a deposit for her daughter's prom dress, Sondra Davis said Dejza disappeared.

"So that first week of April, that's when Tonyce told me, 'mom, I think we've been scammed,'" Davis explained.

Other parents and students have posted similar complaints on social media, saying they paid Dejza deposits, but when it was time to deliver their dress for prom, she was a no show.

"I'm not a scammer. Why would I do that? This is my business," Stevenson said.

The designer said she dropped the ball on about six customers and was not able to deliver their dresses.

But she said other customers, like Govan and her mom, are lying.

She said many customers backed out after seeing social media comments and wanted their money back.

Others, the designer said, knew she was working alone and were impatient and unreasonable.

"So, for anyone in Dallas that said I went ghost on them, I can't work, talk and text at the same time," she said.  "It's me. This little girl. A 23-year-old that makes these pieces by hand, self-taught. You made that decision to push forward."

But Davis said there is no excuse for ripping off children.

"You are a business person. You broke hearts. You took money and you did not refund it," she said. 

The designer said she's working on a plan to make things right with six of her customers, but after that, she's taking a step back to reflect.

"I'm actually going to be giving my business a break," said Stevenson.  "I just want to clear the table reset it. Just start fresh."

But parents like Davis said they have no sympathy for Stevenson, and want their money back now.

Davis said she's already filed a police report against Stevenson and encourages other parents to do the same.

Meanwhile, Stevenson said she'll be taking legal action against all the people who are wrongfully accusing her of ripping them off.

I reached out to Paypal and helped get Davis most of her money back.

And with that money, Davis said she was able to find a different designer last minute who came through with a prom dress for her daughter.