The dancewear brand YUMIKO is popular with ballet dancers all over the world. The brand was founded by Yumiko Takeshima, who in the 1990s started to combine her experience as a professional dancer with her sense for colours, which she had acquired in her family’s kimono business, to design tailor-made leotards. Combining functionality and design, YUMIKO quickly became internationally recognized. Today there are stores in Berlin, Tokyo and New York, in addition to a successful online business. J-BIG had the opportunity to ask Yumiko Takeshima about her journey. She talks about her beginnings, the long nights she spent sewing in her studio, the marketing of her products, the role of the ‘Yumi Girl’ in sales and how she managed to win the hearts of dancers all over the world.
J-BIG: Ms Takeshima, can you tell us about your career in the ballet industry?
Yumiko Takeshima: I entered the world of ballet at a very young age: I started ballet lessons at the age of three and transferred to a ballet school in San Francisco when I was 13. From there, my dance career took me to many international stages, including Korea, Calgary, Paris and a modern dance company in New York. I eventually became a member of the Dutch National Ballet.
Ballet friends from my time in the Netherlands inspired me to move to Germany in 2006. I was a member of a ballet company in Dresden for about eight and a half years. When my son was born, the question arose as to how I could reconcile family and dance. I then decided to end my career as an active dancer.
With the decision to leave the stage in 2013, I focused more on my brand YUMIKO and pushed ahead with opening a shop in Berlin. There were several reasons for choosing Berlin: I had long liked the city for its cultural openness and international environment, which made it an ideal location for my family. The move marked the start of a new life and a new phase in my career.
J-BIG: So the brand YUMIKO already existed before you moved to Berlin, when you were still active as a dancer?
Yumiko Takeshima: Exactly, YUMIKO exists already for more than 20 years. I officially founded YUMIKO in 2002, but the beginnings go back to my time at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. Back then, my home was also my workshop.
When I moved from New York to the Netherlands in 1993 to dance with the National Ballet, living conditions in the Netherlands were still very different from those in Japan. In the beginning, I didn’t even have a kitchen or light bulbs. I tried to save money by sewing my own blankets and cushions with a sewing machine borrowed from friends.
The decisive incident that gave me the idea of sewing dancewear was when I found material for a leotard in a local fabric shop. When I tried my home-made leotard in ballet training, my colleagues were amazed and asked me to sew dancewear for them, too. That was the birth of the YUMIKO brand.
Of course, there was already a large selection of dancewear suppliers, but many dancers liked the idea of having a leotard tailored by a fellow ballet dancer. Orders piled up thanks to referrals, and I even received requests from ballet companies abroad. But it wasn’t an easy time: for ten years I sat at the sewing machine every day after work in the ballet company, often until midnight. Our house was full of fabric. My husband and our dog had to fight their way through the lengths of fabric. At some point my husband said that it couldn’t go on like this. At his suggestion, I hired an assistant to help me with the work at home. At that time, I was sewing about four leotards a day and my assistant was making seven.
J-BIG: How did the business develop from there?
Yumiko Takeshima: We then moved our production to southern Spain, as my husband’s family was already based there. We initially hired four employees. Some of our first employees are still part of our team today. YUMIKO was officially founded as a company in 2002.
Our team has grown steadily over the years. Today we employ around 50 skilled seamstresses, including many part-time workers. Despite our size, the team structure has remained very tight. There is a strong bond and everyone works with great passion on our products. It is this atmosphere – the compact and communal nature of our team – that I really appreciate and believe makes a big difference.
J-BIG: Your leotards quickly became known by word of mouth. What other methods did you use to market your products at that time?
Yumiko Takeshima: When I started sewing leotards as a hobby, a system developed through my first customers, which we later called ‘Yumi Girl’. When I first made a leotard for a friend, her ballet colleagues were so enthusiastic that demand increased and my products became known to other ballet groups. These friends, who were my first customers, became the ‘Yumi Girls’ when I officially founded my company and took on an important role in sales as messengers: as models for the leotards, they advertised, collected orders from ballet companies and ballet schools, and even took care of coordinating payments. In this way, we took orders, produced and delivered the leotards, and our products quickly spread in ballet circles all over the world.
Due to increasing demand, we then introduced an ‘Ambassador’ system, which is aimed at people who process 100 or more orders per year. At the same time, we revitalised the original ‘Yumi Girl’ system to better serve smaller ballet companies and studios. While the Ambassadors are responsible for larger orders, the Yumi Girls concentrate on direct customer contact and processing smaller orders. In this way, we have created a flexible sales model that better meets the individual needs of our customers.
We had already set up an online store before we moved to Dresden in 2006. The internet provided a platform to meet the high demand, as word of the good quality of our products spread almost automatically within the ballet companies: if someone was wearing one of our products, their colleagues often wanted one, too. Even without our customers coming into the store, we were able to gain their trust by having our products seen in the ballet companies and through positive word-of-mouth. Thanks to our good reputation, online sales are now our most important sales channel.
J-BIG: What is the role of your physical stores?
Yumiko Takeshima: We currently operate physical stores in three locations: we opened the first in New York, followed by Berlin and another in Tokyo in 2016. These locations are much more than just retail spaces for us – they serve as central communication points with our customers and have a major influence on our strategic marketing activities. We use the benefits of physical stores by actively collaborating with the local arts and culture scene in each city. We also design our stores to fit in with the atmosphere and culture of the city.
In Berlin, for example, we work closely with local dancers, photographers and production teams. Although we originally had no particular connection to Germany, it was a conscious decision to open our second location in Berlin. The city is known for its creative energy and unique culture, making it a perfect fit for our business model.
The business in Berlin attracts customers not only from Berlin, but from all over Germany and Europe. The German market plays a key role within the EU, not least because of its strong support for the arts and culture. This makes Germany an important pillar for us and a springboard for further development and expansion into other European markets such as the UK and France.
J-BIG: Which of your physical stores is particularly successful?
Yumiko Takeshima: Our store in Berlin is an important point of contact for customers from all over Europe. Ballet companies from Germany in particular regularly place large group orders with us. However, the American market – and therefore our shop in New York – remains the leader in terms of sales. Sales in our Berlin and Tokyo stores are stable, but the US is a large and diverse market with a wide range of customers.
The film ‘Black Swan’, in which our brand supplied the costumes for Natalie Portman, also had a significant impact. The production team praised the quality of our leotards, which immediately raised our profile. The film triggered a huge demand that significantly boosted our sales figures in the US, and our business in New York is still benefiting from the increased awareness of our brand today.
J-BIG: Can you tell us more about the reactions to your work on the costumes for ‘Black Swan’?
Yumiko Takeshima: Firstly, it should be mentioned that the costume design was not done by us, but by the talented designer Amy Westcott. So we were not directly involved in the production of the film. When Amy Westcott visited a ballet company in New York for her research and asked the dancers for their ‘favourite leotard’, YUMIKO was recommended. We were then asked to supply the leotards for the film.
I still remember the moment when I saw our Leotards on the big screen – it was really moving.
J-BIG: Many Japanese dancers come to Germany to study ballet. What is your impression of the ballet industry in Germany?
Yumiko Takeshima: In the German ballet companies, I noticed that there are very few members from Germany itself. In the Dresden company where I danced before, for example, there were only two or three dancers with a German background. Ballet in Germany is very international and has an open culture that explicitly welcomes foreign dancers. The high standard of the companies and their willingness to take on new choreographies and unusual projects make the German ballet scene particularly attractive. For example, pieces are performed here that are rarely tried out in other countries.
Germany also offers dancers a high degree of professional stability. While dancers in countries like the US often face financial insecurity, Germany has a good social security system and dancers are paid even when they are on holiday or sick. It is difficult to find this kind of support in other countries. I feel very lucky to be able to work in Germany.
My many positive experiences with social security in Germany have inspired me to also integrate support systems at YUMIKO and to offer our employees fair and stable working conditions. Creating a safe working environment for our employees is very important to us and will continue to be a high priority in the future.
J-BIG: The leotards made by YUMIKO are the dream of many dancers. What is behind this success and what do you pay special attention to during production?
Yumiko Takeshima: For me, the secret of success lies in the focus on tailor-made clothing. Customers all come to us with an idea of a leotard that will fit them perfectly, and it gives me great pleasure to work with them to bring these ideas to life. Even back then, when I made the first prototypes and showed them to my friends, they were very enthusiastic. They often wanted to keep the design exactly as it was. I experienced a lot of acceptance and trust in my designs from the very beginning. The joy of fulfilling my customers’ wishes and ideas is still my motivation today, and I never want to lose sight of that.
That’s why I’ve named many of our leotards after friends. Including my first leotard, which I designed for a friend: the design was based on her wish to leave a tattoo on her back uncovered. That’s why I named the design with the open back neckline after her. Many other leotards are also named after friends who inspired the design. This naming has become an integral part of our brand identity. Recently, we have also used the names of some of our active ambassadors for our products, which has made them very happy. It is this personal approach that makes YUMIKO unique: every customer contributes to the brand’s story.
J-BIG: Are Japanese elements also part of your success as a global brand?
Yumiko Takeshima: I think the Japanese influence is particularly evident in the choice of colours. My family has been in the kimono business for several generations and I grew up with the colours and materials of traditional kimonos. This has trained my eye for beautiful colour combinations. I often coordinate the design and colours of our products in the same way that kimonos are typically combined with accessories. The kimono culture has strongly influenced my preference for precise and harmonious colour tones.
I also have very high quality standards. As I have been sewing myself from the very beginning, I pay attention to every detail – from the seams to the choice of elastic bands. Quality control becomes more difficult as the company grows, but I stick to my principles. That’s why I always go back to my roots and check every detail.
In practice, this means that the entire production process is subject to strict controls at every stage – from fabric selection to sewing. We check our suppliers very carefully and avoid fabrics that are not sustainably produced or that use dyes that are harmful to the environment, even if it means paying more. For us, sustainability is part of quality. Leftover fabrics and leotards are not simply thrown away. Instead, we recycle them or donate them to dance schools around the world.
I treat every product as if it were intended for my own family. I also expect my employees to work with the same care and dedication, always with the aim of delivering the best quality.
J-BIG: Do you outsource parts of your production or do you manufacture everything in-house?
Yumiko Takeshima: We still make everything ourselves. Over the years, we have often been asked by small shops and boutiques around the world why we don’t sell our leotards to them. Last year we took the plunge and started selling our products to retailers.
We have come to the conclusion that selling to retailers can also be a good way to reach a wider clientele. However, we have since received so many orders that we now have a waiting list for retail orders.
In order to cope with the high volume of orders and expand our capacity, we are currently focusing on increasing our staff and production capacity – without compromising on quality. As quality control becomes increasingly difficult as the company grows, new employees undergo an intensive two-month training programme to learn sewing and cutting techniques. Only those who successfully complete this training and pass the final tests are allowed to enter production. We know this is a high bar, but it is necessary to meet our quality standards. We have also increased our capacity by opening a new manufacturing facility in Spain in October last year.
J-BIG: How have you worked over the years to improve and maintain the quality of your products?
Yumiko Takeshima: My first few years were probably the most challenging. Back then, I sewed all the leotards myself and was constantly working to improve. I took great care to sew neatly so the threads didn’t fray, and I thought about how to increase comfort. Over the years I have always returned to these principles and stuck to my standards.
An important contribution is made by our first-class employees, who have been with us since our beginnings and today, as heads of the various departments, ensure that our quality standards continue to be realised.
On a recent visit to our factory in Spain, I was told that products were not being properly inspected. I asked them a simple question: ‘How would you feel if a family who had saved hard to afford one of our leotards received a product with a hole in it?’ This thought made everyone understand the responsibility we have to our customers. Maintaining quality is our top priority and we must not lose sight of this in the future.
J-BIG: Finally, what are your visions for the future?
Yumiko Takeshima: Our plan is to expand into the fitness market. Especially in Germany, where the fitness industry is very strong, we see great potential. We already produce sportswear such as leggings, but we are still mainly associated with dancewear and the majority of our existing customers come to buy leotards. In the future, we would also like to promote our products to runners and fitness enthusiasts.
We always hear from customers who try our leggings how comfortable they are. The sportswear market is very competitive and many people shop at the big sports chains. However, we are confident that we can convince people who are looking for quality products of the benefits of our brand.
In the long term, we want to establish a stronger presence not only in Germany, but also worldwide and make a significant contribution to the dance and sportswear market. This is why we are planning to open more stores in key cities such as London and Paris.
As a brand with more than 20 years of experience, YUMIKO has always put quality first. We want to continue to develop and bring the charm of YUMIKO to as many people as possible.
