We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Delorenzo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The name oodelooo Ballet Wear took me some time to figure out, but in the end, it was right in front of me all along. Initially, the brand was called Created by DeLo, but I knew I needed to rebrand to better reflect my niche. Since my focus is on ballet skirts for dancers, while also expanding into street-to-studio styles for all women, “ballet wear” made sense. But where did “oodelooo” come from?

Back in the AOL days, when everyone had those quirky screen names filled with X’s and O’s (like Xx Melissa xX), my screen name was Oo DeLo oO. With my last name being DeLorenzo, my friends often called me DeLo (pronounced Dee-Low) for short. However, when Instagram came around and didn’t allow spaces in usernames, it mashed together into oodelooo. I never thought twice about how it looked or how it would be pronounced until one night at a bar, someone called out, “ooooo-d’loooo!” I was surprised by how adorable and catchy it sounded—I had never pronounced it that way myself!

When it came time to brainstorm brand names, oodelooo felt like the perfect fit. It was quirky, unique, and, conveniently, I was already using it for my email and Instagram. After a quick internet search, I found no other businesses with the same name, and just like that, oodelooo Ballet Wear was born!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Melissa DeLorenzo, the owner and designer of oodelooo Ballet Wear. I began dancing ballet and jazz at the age of 4, and ballet quickly became my ultimate passion. Throughout my life, I’ve continued to take and teach dance classes, even branching out into group fitness at local gyms and boutique fitness centers.

When I moved to Maui, Hawaii, in 2014, ballet had to take a back seat due to the lack of open classes for adults. However, I landed my dream job dancing professionally in Burn n’ Love at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina.

After returning to New Jersey in 2018, I rekindled my love for ballet by taking numerous classes, teaching at The Ballet Studio, and performing lead roles in The Nutcracker with Hamilton Ballet Theatre. Immersed once again in the ballet world, I felt inspired to revisit an old skill from my childhood: sewing. I started creating my own ballet skirts for class, which eventually led to the birth of oodelooo Ballet Wear. Initially, I made skirts for myself, but soon began receiving custom requests from friends and fellow dancers, sparking my desire to dive deeper into the fashion industry.

After completing the Designer Development Program at Made Institute in Philadelphia, PA, I officially launched oodelooo Ballet Wear. My brand draws inspiration from the many elements that have fueled my love for ballet over the years: the beautiful costumes, fabrics, makeup, hair, stages, theatres, live music, and all the pretty accessories dancers wear to class. I’ve always recognized that every small detail matters in creating a full picture for the audience.

I’ve shared my love of ballet through teaching and choreography, and now, through fashion. Every piece of oodelooo Ballet Wear is designed and handmade by me in New Jersey, with love, care, and special attention to detail. Let oodelooo Ballet Wear whisk you away to a world of pretty pastels, where all the enchanting elements of ballet come to life in timeless ballet essentials for class and beyond.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I manage all of my social media entirely on my own, and I work on it every single day. I carefully plan out all my posts, reels, and stories, ensuring they’re cross-posted across all platforms. I used to dedicate an entire day to scheduling posts for the upcoming week, but it ended up being too much time spent at the computer. So, I shifted my strategy to creating one post a day for the week ahead, which has worked much better for me.

I also want to give credit to the amazing photographers I consistently collaborate with. I partner with professional dance photographers by providing them with my extravagant ballet skirts to add to their wardrobe collections. In return, I get to share and use their beautiful images. This helps build strong professional relationships, not only with the photographers but also with the dancers they work with. In the end, it benefits us both by expanding our social media followings and enhancing our presence.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I initially started selling on Etsy, and I still do to this day. Years later, I launched my Shopify site, which is now my official website, oodelooo.com. I’ve kept my Etsy shop active because I’ve built a strong presence there, with over 700 sales to date and a 5-star rating with glowing reviews! However, the percentage Etsy takes from each sale isn’t ideal.

oodelooo.com has been open for just over a year, and I’m excited to see sales grow over time. One of the things I love about Shopify is that they don’t take such a large cut from each sale, and I have the freedom to fully customize each page to reflect my brand’s aesthetic. The downside of having my own site is needing to know a bit about SEO to boost visibility in Google searches. Fortunately, I have a few friends who are SEO experts and have generously offered their help!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oodelooo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oodelooo_balletwear/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oodeloooballetwear
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oodeloooballetwear

  Etsy: https://oodeloooballetwear.etsy.com

Image Credits

Andrew Bowen Studios

Lazaro, M.

Penry Studios

New Studio Accademico

Susan Grace Photography