Sisters start Canadian dancewear company for people of all skin colours

After years of having to dye her ballet clothes to match her skin colour, Nia Faith Betty and her sister Justice Faith Betty, decided to start a dancewear company with a wider mission.

They co-founded Révolutionnaire, an apparel company and movement to celebrate diversity and encourage individuals to follow their dreams.

“My friends were able to get apparel that matched their skin tone, I would have to go home and dye everything because there was nothing available for dancers of colour,” said Nia. “I would go into the dancewear store and just see a sea of shades that didn’t fit me, that made me feel like I wasn’t meant to be a dancer.”

Nia is now majoring in dance at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. Prior to this, she studied dance at a prestigious studio in New York City. The sisters grew up in Toronto.

“I had such a painful experience because I experienced racism in the dance studios,” she added. “Physically being separated from my non-Black peers, and being told to learn choreography off of videos while they were able to work with choreographers.”

In 2019, Justice and Nia started the brand with the intention of creating a more inclusive experience for other dancers. The sisters say Révolutionnaire is the first Canadian dance brand that caters to dancers of colour.

“Since then we were able to expand with apparel and accessories for everyone to celebrate the skin that they are in,” said Nia.

Inspired by other people’s stories, in June 2021, they launched a social platform for change makers. This month, they have teamed up with Rogers for an “All IN” national campaign. Rogers is the parent company of CityNews.

“It’s going to be a national campaign celebrating Canadian icons and the community organizations they are proud to support in calling all Canadians to reflect on how we can all be revolutionary,” added Justice.

In addition to co-founding the brand, Justice has served as co-chair of the City of Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee. She has also run social change workshops for students in several countries.

In the video series, Justice and Nia sit down with icons such as figure skater Elladj Baldé, singer/songwriter Shawnee Kish, and disability advocate Taylor Lindsay-Noel.

“We are really proud to have Révolutionnaire to make sure that everyone feels included, seen and represented,” added Nia.