Last year marked a creative turning point for Batsheva Hay. She opened her flagship store in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood and staged a fall 2024 show outside the shop with a diverse group of women, many of whom she street-cast herself. One of those women was Lori Belilove, the founder and artistic director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation & Company, whom she eventually befriended. For her fall 2025 presentation, Hay invited guests to a performance by the foundation where the dancers would wear her collection.

“As I’ve gotten to know Lori better, I’ve also learned more about Isadora and how she was a real disruptor,” she explained, standing inside the performance space. “It was a time when everything was constricted and tight, and she wore loose clothing and was free and sensual. It spoke to me because I started my brand through an obsession with Victorian dressing, and now I’m drawn to a looser way of dressing and moving in the world personally.”

Since Hay began collaborating with the dancers, she has zeroed in on a rectangular tunic, which is Belilove’s preferred shape for dancing. She re-created it in a variety of fabrics, like shiny jacquards, semi-sheer chiffons, and slinky crepes. Ease of movement—and a bit of drama—was the name of the game, evident in a silver dress that mixed a crinkly velvet and a more holographic fabric with long Ren Faire–style sleeve panels and in a 1950s-style dress with a giant bow and built-in cape that she had first made for her spring 2024 collection; they both seem to take flight when in motion. It would’ve been great if the dancers had worn her clothes for the entirety of their performance instead of just at the end, as her clothes did add a more compelling element to the choreography and set.

Elsewhere, a poplin shirt and skirt with a wide waistband were meant for her more straightforward customers and wholesale accounts, although these days Hay seems to be more excited about the one-of-a-kind pieces she can make and sell directly at her store.