The Leo and Betty Gruss Collection
Betty Gruss (nee Oronovitch) was born in 1921 in Kaunas Lithuania to an Orthodox Jewish Family. In 1938, with the threat of war, Betty was sent to England, and she remained there when war broke out. Using the experience, she gained from working in her mother's dress shop, she enrolled in the School of Textiles, of what was then the Leicester College of Technology.
She then moved to Leeds to work in the clothing manufacturing industry; it was here that she met Leo.
Leo was born in 1918 in Vienna to an Orthodox Jewish Family. After spending a brief time in the Dachau Concentration Camp, he was released and travelled to Leeds – where he had close friends and there was a growing Jewish refugee population.
Shortly after their marriage in 1943, they opened their own textile factory named Dobbett Ltd. Their business was fashion and knitwear, with Betty regularly visiting couture shows in Paris and suppliers in Italy. Betty also had an editorial in Vogue and created a Grazia collection, which was a resounding success.
The Leo and Betty Gruss Charitable Trust was set up in Leo and Betty’s lifetime to support areas close to their hearts including higher education in textile and fashion design.
The Leo and Betty Gruss Award for Excellence in Fashion Design is a purchase prize which was founded from a donation from the Trust. It forms the Leo and Betty Gruss Collection and stands as a testament to the extraordinary talent, skill, and creativity of our graduates.
It provides a vibrant platform to showcase their work to a wider audience, celebrating the innovation and artistry that characterises our community. The Collection also serves as an invaluable educational resource for future generations. Carefully curated and preserved within our archives, it offers students the opportunity to study and be inspired by the work of those who came before them.
The Collection creates a profound and enduring legacy for Leo and Betty Gruss here in Leicester, the city where Betty’s remarkable journey with knitwear first began. It is a deeply fitting tribute that will keep their spirit alive within our creative community.
The Leo and Betty Gruss Charitable Trust are also kind donors to the National Saturday Club programme at DMU, which focusses on Fashion and Business.
You can read more about Leo and Betty's life here.