This week Underlines talks with Natalie McNamee CEO and Founder of DYNS: the creative gen-z dance fitness brand breaking traditions and building an empowering community.
With an unbelievable drive and passion to give dancers clothes they deserve, but to also build a community that young females feel a part of. Natalie has a career that has spanned 15 years in the dance industry, starting her first business at just age 16, Natalie wants to give back to an industry that has helped and guided her throughout life.
How did the brand start and when did you start working on it?
DYNS started because as a professional dancer building my ’empire’ there were no brands that catered to women with a passion for dance but also the fitness space. Whether they attend weekly dance/fitness classes at the gym or train professionally or even just follow their favourite dance artist on social media there were no brands that young women could identify with. I knew I had the ability to launch a start-up business having already started my first business at age 16: 2021 COVID was the push for me to get the brand off the ground and make DYNS a reality. We launched our first product in April 2021.
What is different about designing your products?
The rigorous training of a dancer requires products to be designed and made to endure a lot of wear and tear but also provide high levels of breathability. Designing our product is super challenging, but so creative at the same time. Our customers not only want to wear stylish, unique products but they also want products that can adapt with their lifestyle. Fabrics such as nylon, spandex, polyester and cotton enable us to get really creative with our designs. The mix of fashion and highly technical sportswear makes our garments truly unique and of very high quality.
Where do you look for design inspiration?
First and foremost we always look at the current influential dancers in the space around the time we start designing. As a brand rooted in dance culture it is so important to take inspiration from a young women’s style in this space. Secondly, we always keep ahead of trending athleisure brands in US and Europe with a similar age market, this helps us understand where trends are heading but also the wider lifestyle of a young women interested in the broad space of fitness.
What are the highlights of your collection?
Ii’s so hard to choose the highlights because there have been so many! I would say our most recent designs were some cargo trousers which I can honestly say were a true masterpiece. We added little details such as a wide mesh lining on the inside of the garment for maximum breathability but also a removable waistband, a truly iconic design that took months of planning. This collection has been our bestselling so far and a true fan favourite. First and foremost, we always put quality first when designing our collections.
What do you read and whom do you follow in social media to keep ahead of trends?
With our brand being so heavily marketed to dancers/fitness enthusiasts, we firstly follow the pioneering females in the dance space to get a feel of their lifestyle, dress sense and interests. Having a retail space in the UK top dance and fitness studios BASE allows us to really connect with leading artists in the space. We also follow highly influential gen-z creatives on social media in America, Europe and the UK, this helps us understand who is leading the trends and the styles in the industry. I am always on the lookout for independent, specialist fashion magazines, it is great to get a whole new perspective on fashion and inspiration for marketing new collections. I also have a pile of the newest dance magazines to get a feel for what is relevant and upcoming in the industry.
Describe the person who wears your designs: what is their style?
Creative gen-z females with either a passion for dance and fitness but also young women who train and attend weekly dance or fitness classes who may follow leading dance pioneers on social media. Sounds niche but 20-30% of women in the UK attend weekly dance classes. The style of a current dancer is comfort, but also stand out pieces.
The importance of basics that they can trust time and time again but also have a unique look over just a bra and leggings from any activewear brand.
A Typical Week…in your life
Each week brings so many new ventures, challenges, and opportunities. Being the sole female founder of an athleisure brand means I am constantly juggling a lot of plates! I travel at least once a week into London to create connections and check up on our retail space. The rest of the week you will find me either in the office having major creative sessions with my team, or on my laptop working from home finding ways to grow, build and market our brand.
I am constantly juggling a lot of plates!
Your proudest moment to date?
I would actually say it was the moment where I truly saw the demand and love for the brand at an exhibition stand at MOVE IT 2023. It is the leading dance and fitness convention in Europe. DYNS stand was the most popular stand by far, selling an item every 2 minutes. At that moment I truly realised that DYNS was not only breaking traditions of a whole industry but building had an avid following and unstoppable community.
When I realised that DYNS … had an avid following and unstoppable community
Your next big challenge?
Our next big challenge for us as a brand is to start shipping our clothes to Europe, we are currently only UK based. A lady from Iceland booked a plane ticket to the UK just to shop our clothes at a recent exhibition we attended! There is so much demand for our brand with European dance and fitness fanatics so to be able to ship to European customers would be a big game changer for us.
What about time out?
I’m a sucker for this! Taking time out and switching off from the brand is super challenging. If I do take time out, I love spending quality time with my fiancé, doing a quick gym session or catching up with friends. I think when you have limited time to take “time out” you prioritise the connections you have with the people closest to you in your life. My friends and family have been my true back bone and I would not be where I am without them. @wearedyns
