A Pas De Deux of Fashion and Dance

Fashion designers and labels have long worked with major ballet and modern dance companies to create custom costumes for specific dance performances. Over the past few years, the two groups have increasingly been getting together to bring the dance organizations’ brand names to consumers through apparel, accessories, and/or footwear collections. These pairings fit snugly into the current balletcore trend, which got its start on TikTok in the early 2020s and hit the mainstream in 2022. 

Some of the leading ballet organizations that have been involved in such collaborations include: 

• American Ballet Theatre. Activewear brand Alo Yoga announced a partnership with this company just last month, for a fall 2024 collection consisting of 40 fashion, lounge, and performance pieces in a hue called Ballet Pink. The collection includes classic Alo styles such as grip socks, leg warmers, ballet tops, ribboned leggings, onesies, bras, tennis dresses, and skirts. Separately, in 2021, the ABT paired with shoe designer Sarah Flint for a ballet slipper flat in three colorways that was included as part of her broader collection that season. Some of the proceeds went to ABT Women’s Movement, which supports the creation of new works by female choreographers.

• The Royal Ballet. This London company paired with AllSaints for a collection curated by four of its dancers (Brayden Galluci, Joonhyuk Jun, Bomin Kim, and Viola Pantuso) in November 2023 for an edgy version of the balletcore trend. The 24-piece capsule included shearling jackets, jeans, biker boots, leather jackets, and dresses, as well as t-shirts and hoodies, all incorporating jewels, sequins, and other embellishment. 

• New York City Ballet. In October 2023, this company, celebrating its 75th anniversary, paired with Reformation for a sustainable 19-piece collection of flowy skirts, bodysuits, dresses, wrap sweaters, tube dresses, ballet flats, leg warmers, and other pieces integrating lace, satin, silk, tulle, cashmere, and chiffon. The line was inspired by a George Ballentine ballet called Jewels and included ruby and emerald shades, as well as black, cream, and lots of light pink. Previously, in 2022, Zara partnered with the Ballet for a capsule collection of dresses, tops, shorts, bodysuits, jumpsuits, sweaters, leggings, skirts, leotards, and ballerina flats, with black being a dominant color and materials including silk and tulle. Performance artist Vanessa Beecroft collaborated on the design of the collection, which was part of the retailer’s effort to reposition itself away from fast fashion with the creation of slightly premium-priced collections. 

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In October 2021, this modern dance troupe paired with Champion and Denim Tears for a capsule of sweatsuits, graphic t-shirts, crochet knitwear, sweatshirts, and hats. Unlike the other collections discussed here, the products leaned toward streetwear rather than balletcore in their design. They honored the history of the Black-founded company by highlighting the red, green, and black of the Pan-African diaspora and featuring images of performances over the years. 

• L.A. Dance Project. Back in 2020, which was just before the current balletcore incarnation got its start, the Project, headed by choreographer Benjamin Millepied, teamed with Zadig Voltaire for a 17-piece collection of leg warmers, sweaters, and joggers. 

In addition to these pairings with leading dance companies, fashion labels have worked with individual dancers in creating apparel capsules. In November 2023, Fleur du Mal worked with Isabella Boylston for a collection of skirts, robes, and bodysuits in lace-trimmed satin and georgette fabrics. Boylston also partnered, in June of that year, with Spits59 for a collection of jumpsuits, leggings, shorts, bras, and t-shirts, with a second collection in December. Similarly, in October 2023, La Saison Sportive announced a collection of knit polos, sweaters, tops, pants, scarves, and cardigans with ballerina Miriam Miller. 

It should also be noted that the dance company-branded collections mentioned above often put some of the groups’ star dancers front and center in the advertising for the collaborative lines.