At the beginning of November, Shades Dancewear launched its Shadify skin-tone-matching platform. Integrated into the UK company’s existing website, the AI-powered tool allows dancers to scan their faces using their phone or laptop camera, to accurately identify which of the brand’s four shades will best fit their skin tone.
“At the core of Shadify is an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience, featuring 3D visualisation and rendering,” reads a recent press release from the Nottingham-based company. Developed using funding from Create Growth UK, “this cutting-edge solution enables users to virtually try on garments and see how each item appears on their skin tone in real time.”
As a result, dancers can “consider what products are best for them without the embarrassment of walking into a shop and asking to try on products that may or may not match their skin tone,” co-founder, former professional dancer, and teacher of 30 years Stacey Green tells DRN via email, “or continually returning products that have been ordered online because they don’t match.”
Shadify is the latest in a long line of projects by Shades Dancewear championing inclusive and diverse dancewear. Established in 2023, the brand grew out of the activism and advocacy work of the TIRED movement (Trying to Improve Racial Equality in Dance) charity, also founded by Green along with dance lover, charity activist, and dance mum of two Laura Grant. In addition to being sold directly to consumers, products are stocked in stores and studios across the UK, as well as in Ghana, Canada (at the National Ballet of Canada), and Dubai.
Over its two years of operation, Shades Dancewear has established itself as the first dancewear brand in the UK to offer four diverse skin-tone shades across its entire collection; the shades are named Bojangles, Pearl, Uday, and Raven, after the global-majority dance pioneers. While recognizing that other brands offer inclusive dancewear, Shades Dancewear offers a wider range: Its ballet shoes, for example, are available in everything from a child’s size 5 to adult’s size 11. On its website, Shades Dancewear also claims to be the first brand in the world to offer dance support belts in four diverse skin tone shades.
“Feeling excluded because of the colour of your skin is something that should not be happening in 2025, and the dance industry has a responsibility to invest in greater inclusivity,” says Green. “At Shades Dancewear, we’ve embraced this responsibility by taking a forward-thinking approach to creating dancewear for everyone.” Prior to Shadify, customers could match their skin tones to Shades Dancewear’s products using the brand’s color-match swatch, which can still be ordered online for 2.99 GBP.
Shades Dancewear’s profile has grown recently due to being featured in an episode of the UK version of “Dragons’ Den” at the end of October. While unsuccessful in securing investment of 75,000 GBP, dragon Deborah Meaden thanked Shades Dancewear for opening her eyes. “So often we just go through life and unintentionally don’t notice the discrepancies,” she said on the episode. “I think they’re going to make it,” added dragon Peter Jones, CBE, one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs.
Digital clothing is already a trend in the fashion industry, and Green hopes that Shadify will inspire digital dancewear to follow suit. Not only does the skin-tone-matching platform aim to spark a revolution in how AI can enhance the experience of dancers when selecting clothing and footwear, it may also explore the potential of the technology’s ability to support the design and development of new products and creative ideas. We can’t wait to see where it leads.
Emily May is the editor of Dance Retailer News.