Since November 2019, fans of The Royal Ballet School have been able to support the iconic institution by purchasing exclusive merchandise through its Covent Garden pop-up shop and e-commerce site. The School offers a range of clothing, dance equipment, and unique commemorative items, carefully developed through student feedback and external customer surveys.
In 2022, the School extended its online shop with the addition of an environmentally responsible dance and activewear range in partnership with Dansez, a leading British designer and producer of sustainable dance clothing.
The Royal Ballet School’s Stance on Sustainability
The Royal Ballet School isn’t new to going green, and sustainability has been a key focus of its retail offering from the beginning. The School first opened its shop with high-quality products from suppliers with strong ethical and sustainable credentials. Take the School’s child and adult hoodies from A.M. Clothing, the UK’s first print company to introduce Neutral® Fair trade clothing, or its branded tote bags, made from heavyweight, Fairtrade, and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton. The Sustainable Life and Supplier Ethical Data Exchange accredited company Bag It Doesn’t Bin It supplies these bags.
When it came to adding an environmentally conscious dancewear line, the School turned to Dansez. This company has been a market leader in dancewear for 45 years, designing and producing products of exceptional quality that are handmade in the company’s UK studio and trusted by dancers worldwide.
Dansez works with organizations that “look for excellence, artistic innovation, and social/environmental responsibility in everything they do.” The designer’s collaboration with The Royal Ballet School represents a forward-looking partnership between two leaders in the fields of dance and sustainable garment production.
Developing the Dancewear Range
The development process began with the School and Dansez surveying students to better understand their dance and activewear needs. The survey included questions on style, fabric preference, and views on sustainable production. The survey showed that the overwhelming majority of students felt it was important that their garments were sustainably made.
It was essential to have a function and style goes hand-in-hand with sustainability when producing the range. Initial sample pieces, designed with the support of Royal Ballet School alumnus and Dansez collaborator Brandon Lawrence, went through a product testing phase. During this testing phase, a focus group of Royal Ballet School students provided feedback on quality, comfort, and reassurance when moving. The garments went through a final alteration stage to refine the designs. Each piece features The Royal Ballet School logo and incorporates accents of the School’s trademark gold color against sleek, black designs.
The resulting range offers sophisticated leotards, tops, shorts, and tights that are perfect for the gym, yoga or Pilates classes, and any style of dance, including ballet.
The Recycling Power of ECONYL®
As part of the company’s commitment to positive change, Dansez is the first UK dancewear producer to use ECONYL®, a regenerated fabric derived from the ocean and landfill nylon waste, such as discarded fishing nets that the Healthy Seas Initiative has retrieved from the world’s waters.
ECONYL® is an infinitely recyclable fiber that offers an alternative to fast, disposable fashion and proves that we can still enjoy new products while contributing to a better environment. ECONYL®’s regenerated nylon is identical to brand-new nylon and never loses its recycling potential, meaning the creation of new products without using new resources.
Dansez has created The Royal Ballet School’s range of dancewear by combining ECONYL® with the finest Italian fabrics, resulting in high-quality garments that look great, perform fantastically, and benefit the planet.
The Royal Ballet School’s Expanded Christmas Range
The Royal Ballet School has also expanded its retail range in time for this year’s festive shopping. The latest seasonal items include clear Christmas baubles that feature a gold silhouette of two Royal Ballet School alumni dancing a pas de deux from Paquita. These alumni are Hanna Park, who now dances with the Royal Ballet, and Davi Ramos, who now dances with the Dutch National Ballet.
The newly expanded festive range also includes two Christmas cards, each designed exclusively for The Royal Ballet School by London’s Njeri Illustrated. One card features Upper School students walking under Covent Garden’s Christmas lights to their class. The second card shows younger Royal Ballet School students having a playful snowball fight on the White Lodge grounds. These cards are available in packs of six.
Visit The Royal Ballet School’s online shop.
About The Royal Ballet School
Since its founding in 1926, The Royal Ballet School has contributed immensely to the rich heritage of The Royal Ballet and the art form as a whole. Through its distinguished classical ballet training, the celebrated dance institution has produced a star-studded list of alumni that includes acclaimed performers like Margot Fonteyn, David Wall, Darcey Bussell, Steven McRae, Marianela Nuñez, and Christopher Wheeldon.
Select young dancers with a talent for ballet progress through the School’s eight-year, full-time course. Students receive first-class dance tuition and a broad academic education, exceptional pastoral care, and cutting-edge nutritional and body conditioning guidance delivered through the Healthy Dancer Programme by a dedicated team of healthcare professionals. Prepared for successful futures in the world of classical ballet and beyond, many graduates of the School enjoy careers with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and other top international dance companies.
Talented young people outside of the full-time course and dance teachers everywhere can also benefit from the School’s classical ballet training expertise thanks to its wide-ranging Training and Access programs.
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