About Dancing Kind
DANCING KIND was born out of the love for sharing the art of playing dress up through storytelling + dance. Proudly WOC owned and founded by Richelle Navales-Yau. Our hope is to continually grow DANCING KIND into a special space of authenticity and vulnerability, crafting designs that tell stories of journey: who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
Our joyfully curated vintage collections are thoughtfully pieced together in order to ensure that dancing kind of feeling, inside and out. In the same way, our in-house garments are designed by Richelle and sustainably handmade by extremely skilled artisans. While we produce the majority of our clothing in Los Angeles, we are responsibly and proudly partnering with other family owned businesses abroad. Our dream is to deepen our connections and roots with women owned and/or family owned businesses in the Philippines because of the sacred space this beautiful country holds with our Filipina-American founder. As a young girl growing up in a world that told her white was better, Richelle continues to unravel a deep understanding and appreciation for her roots, for where her family's story began.
Dancing Kind believes in actively combating the stigma/racism that is often placed with garments handcrafted in non-western countries. We believe some of the world's most excellent artisans, sewers, designers, and creatives come from the countries of our ancestors (in this case, we feel this deeply when it comes to the Philippines). No matter the location, we only partner with other businesses, companies, and individuals whose ethos is in alignment with our own. We believe in fair wages and excellent working conditions for all people.
Dancing Kind is a small label currently running on either small batch productions or on a made-to-order basis in order to avoid waste. We are a slow fashion brand, which often translates into higher costs of production because of the fabrics we choose, the people we partner with, and the smaller quantities we produce. We only use natural fibers (no plastics in our clothes, please). Every in-house garment has been thoughtfully designed and connected with a personal story, a season, a dance, and a purpose. Dancing Kind strives to live in our joy in all that we do, and we hope that you leave feeling like it's a dancing kind of day.
Take your time. Be present. Do your happy dance.