At the age of only 17, Anne Walker opened her own dance school in Liverpool. From the onset Anne supplied her students with leotards and shoes having persuaded a local shop to supply her at a discounted price. By the age of 21 she had her own dance premises and gradually the product side was turning into a small business.

As the school developed, Anne decided to try and make leotards for her students herself. She persuaded her mother to lend her £50 to buy a very ancient industrial overlocker, she enlisted the help of the older students who cut out the garments, and with the help of one of the mums they went into production!

Other dancing teachers soon started buying leotards from her and before long her friend's attic bedroom was turned into a small production unit. Eventually the dancewear manufacturing and sales needed to become a separate business to her dancing school. Thus in 1978, Harlequin Dancewear was born.

Thirty years on IDS is the UK's largest wholesale dancewear supplier with a £7+ million turnover, and a 14,000 plus customer base servicing dance teachers and dance shops with quality dancewear from as far afield as Australia. Some 60 people work at the 26,600 sq ft state of the art warehouse and offices.

In 2009, IDS launched a catalogue in the USA, within a year we have customers in 33 of the 50 states, and in 2010 Anne has been nominated for one of the most prestigious awards for American businesswomen, a Stevie Award, in the category of Best Entrepreneur.

In 2010, in recognition of her contribution to business, Anne was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).

Harlequin House & IDS Staff

Each year IDS launches a mail order catalogue, with 292 pages packed with over 8,500 products including dance shoes, tights, leotards and costumes to accessories and stage props - the future is bright with IDS!

Jonathan Lockett, IDS Creative Marketing Manager & Elaine Bowler, IDS Buyer, launching the 2011/12 Diamond Book