Our Story & Philosophy

female shown from the toros up, smiling with one hand in her hair, showing off the print panel on the Signature Aerial bra she's wearing

Hi, I'm Janina and this is the story of why and how I founded Dressed for the Circus, my own pole and aerialwear brand based in Germany.

When I first touched a pole back in 2015, I never would have guessed where this path would lead me. I was an extremely insecure person at the time, and I literally hated sports. Somehow I did stick with pole dance though because I thought it looked very pretty, and I soon realised that when overcoming physical limits becomes a habit, it also quickly transfers to the idea of overcoming mental limits. My self-confidence look a huge leap and one day I tried aerial hoop, then aerial silks - and ended up completely hooked on this magical circus feeling that I still embrace today.

So at some point when I was in between figuring out what to do after university and searching for a new outfit for pole and aerial that would actually serve my purpose, starting my own sportswear brand just seemed like the logical next step. It did, however, take quite some time to implement this idea - from bureaucracy to time management to finding the perfect fabric to bootstrapping to finding a reliable production partner to more bureaucracy, it's been a wild journey!

When I first started out, I wanted to combine 3 things: an honest approach to sustainability, high functionality for both pole dance and aerials, and style at an affordable price. My vision was clear: inspire people out there to welcome the magic of the circus into their lives and support them with really good aerialwear.

No matter how long it took to get here and how complex the whole project has become over time, what we offer today is an exact implementation of the idea that first encouraged me to do this whole thing:

  • All our garments are either made from our signature micromodal fabric (learn more about it here) or organic cotton, made under fair conditions in Europe - both are an eco-friendly choice that feels just so good on your skin!
  • Our pole and aerialwear is designed with the unique requirements of our sport in mind. High-waist leggings that help with grip on hoop and silks, sports bras with cross-over straps that keep everything in place, panties that cover what needs to be covered, bodysuits with cut out specifically for pole dance and performances, crop shirts for all sorts of activities from warm-up to training to grocery shopping, backwarmers to help keep your body warm... We've got it all for you and we're constantly working on new products to enrich your sportswear drawer!
  • You may think our pole and aerialwear is nice, but not exactly cheap? That's true, and here's why: we've invested in making the best long-term choices for you and ourselves, so when you buy from us, you're investing in a long-lasting, high quality piece of sportswear with a unique design - something to use over and over again and hold on to.

About my vision - that's up to you to decide 😊 Are you ready to be inspired, feel the magic, and make a concious investment in aerialwear that keeps its promise? Shop your own today!