Our Impact

Approach

Instead of mass production, we focus on made-to-order pieces and limited collections designed by Yumiko Takeshima, created exclusively in our workshop. There we can ensure that the quality of our materials, and our team's quality of life, always comes first. Our focus has always been on the longevity of our dancewear, and while we try hard to keep our prices competitive, we don't ignore the human and environmental costs of clothing production.

Located in Southern Spain, our workshop is a small operation and a source of local pride. Having contributed to the economy of the region, we were recently awarded the Business Innovation Award from the Andalusian Provincial Government Delegation of Seville, and The Employee Training Award by the Seville Chamber of Commerce. Our factory is proudly run on 100% green energy, part of our continued efforts toward sustainable business practices.

People

We believe in a skilled workforce where everyone is treated with support and respect. As a global company, we have employees based in the USA, Europe and Japan. We don't cut costs by outsourcing any part of our production process to countries that don't protect workers' rights or the environment. All of our employees are paid fair wages, work appropriate hours and receive full healthcare and pension benefits. The craftsmen and women at our workshop are all under contracts that comply with European labor laws. In addition to healthcare and pension benefits, they receive holiday time off, paid leave time, and a percentage of the company profits.

Materials

All of our fabrics are individually selected from EU suppliers who comply with European Union standards, currently the highest in the world. We research our suppliers and avoid fabrics that use unsustainably-produced inks or dyes, even when costs are higher. Leftover garments and waste fabrics from our workshop are recycled or donated to dance schools around the world.

YUMIKO ships with 100% recycled or compostable materials. This includes cornstarch pouches, plant-derived tape and 100% recycled mailers. In 2018 we made the decision to stop printing annual catalogues as part of our global efforts to reduce waste. We created keepsake Style Books where only new style pages are sent out annually. With the same intention in mind, we created keepsake swatch boxes in 2019 to reduce paper and printing waste. Like all brands, we face contuinuing challenges. Currently we're looking at how the fabric industry is dealing with the waste and by-products created during the production of Nylon. We're also looking into the most efficient uses for our waste fabric snippets.

Community

YUMIKO is a proud member of and contributor to the dance community. We prioritize outreach  and consistently seek out sponsorships, partnerships and collaborations with local organizations. Our intent is to find like-minded partners and contribute to important conversations about the arts and the industry surrounding it.

For the past 7 years we have enjoyed sponsoring Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s annual Experience Tour. The Experience Tour, unlike a traditional audition class, prioritizes giving potential students a glimpse of what training at CPYB would offer. The quality educators, their mindful support of their students’ physical and mental health, plus an emphasis on increasing diversity in all aspects of the dance industry make us proud to continue our support of this gem of a school. 

As of the start of 2022, we are thrilled to announce our sponsorship of Dance Theatre of Harlem, specifically their Dancing Through Barriers® (DTB) community outreach program which provides year-round educational courses to more than 3,000 students in public schools across the New York City metropolitan area and beyond. The program boasts an impressive curriculum covering basic ballet movement, elements of choreography, teamwork, other 21st century skills as well as the history of DTH. 

1% for the Planet

Yumiko is now a certified member of 1% for the Planet, a global movement we are extremely proud to be a part of. Their mission of bringing together dollars and doers to accelerate smart environmental giving is one we align with greatly. YUMIKO actively supports environmental solutions with both annual contributions and everyday actions. As a business we have a responsibility to protect our planet and the resources it provides to us. Follow the links below to learn more about some of the organizations we are supporting this year.

• Friends of the Earth

• Human Impacts Institute

• Kiss the Ground

• Just Food

Follow along @yumiko for more social and environmental impact updates.

Unity Project

Yumiko has always made a statement, and the principles behind the brand have helped to change what dancewear is today. The freedom of choice, the personalization, and the attention to quality are just a few of the standards that Yumiko has been able to build on over the years.

Now approaching our 20th Anniversary, we want to take it a step further in an effort to create a better future for both the dance industry and the dancers we serve.

Dancers are incredibly inspiring people. Their perseverance and dedication to their art form is unparalleled. While their ability to express themselves through movement can be very powerful, it is typically only used to convey someone else's vision or sentiment in a creation. Sadly the dancers’ own thoughts and feelings are often not expressed during the creative process simply because they’re so focused on the work at hand.

Yumiko, through what we do best, would like to give a gentle voice to dancers through our Unity Project. The Unity Collection was born during a moment of extreme difficulty in the world; the Covid 19 pandemic, the existential threat of a warming planet, and innumerable social injustices. Regardless of who you are or where you may live, like everyone else in the world you have felt the effects of these crises. Despite the frightening issues, we feel there is still a chance if we all stand together, united in improving our world with small constant reminders in our day to day lives of what we need to keep our focus on.

Our intention with the Unity Project is to help you open a dialogue about what’s important to you. We believe that through what you wear you can send a subtle but strong message, and the voices of many always ring louder together. Gather a group of like minded dancers and determine for what cause you want to unite together. Design your own Unity Project piece based on the cause you choose. In addition to offering your group a discount based on the number of people involved and the integrity behind your movement, Yumiko will support your cause on our own social platforms and broadcast your message on your behalf.

Yumiko encourages you & your colleagues to show solidarity in your own Unity design piece. Have your group’s representative email impact@yumiko.com to let us know what cause you’ve chosen and let us join you in developing awareness of it.

We can't wait to hear from you.