Working hours at the Royal Ballet in London can exceed 12 hours a day.

They rehearse from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., juggling at least five projects at any given time, an hour at lunch, and plenty of time for physical therapy.

And all this is just something to do before the official performance.

On March 15, a week before the opening night of Christopher Wheeldon's new one-act ballet "Corybantic Games," the dancers were holding their first all-hands gathering.

"It's almost like a new beginning," principal dancer Lauren Cuthbertson told us during the Margot Fonteyn studio's journey to Covent Garden, "because it's the first time that the artistic team and the creative team have seen what will be presented onstage." She had just practiced "pas de deux," a series of intricate movements, with the male chief, Ryoichi Hirano.

Wheeldon fine-tunes their every lift, one-foot rotation and extension. "In the studio, until now, we've been wearing practice suits - it's a completely different environment and there's always a lot of pressure because there's always a lot to change. I've had my hair changed twice. I'm standing on stage and before it's done, it's taken off and restyled."

Amid all the commotion, however, Cuthbertson said she experienced a "magical moment" this morning when she stopped and suddenly realised: "Wait, I'm standing on stage at the Royal Opera House wearing Erdem."

The music accompanying the choreography is Leonard Bernstein's orchestral "Serenade", which, unlike the lace and satin of the Erdem fashion show, contains many subtle contrasts under the notes and is full of elegance.

The ballerina's champagne-colored silk bodice and high-waisted pants emphasize the angular seam design, and the delicately pleated tulle skirt is attached to the ankle and carefully hand-stitched with velvet ribbon along the hem.

Men's leotards, meanwhile, are very low crotch and white leotards are almost naked above the waist.

All of the dancers' bodies are draped with different black velvet ribbons, creating patterned details that resemble natural folds.

From Christian Lacroix's elaborate ballet shorts for the Paris Opera Ballet to Driesvan Noten's casual outfits for Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's "Rainy Day," fashion and dance have long collaborated.

Wheeldon's collaboration with Moral Chi Oglu on "Wild Games" continues this tradition.

When it came time to choose a designer to create costumes for the 21 dancers, Moral o Gelu seemed the most natural choice for Wheeldon.

The two met about six years ago when Erdem invited the choreographer, who has also seen some of his ballets, including the adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" and the abstract "After a Rainy Day," to his fashion show. This isn't the first time Cuthbertson has worn Erdem's designs.

In 2015, she wore one of his dresses to the Laurence Olivier Awards.

So this cooperation is born of friendship and mutual admiration. But why was this ballet particularly appealing to him?

"I think the idea of doing something completely new is very modern - to do something that doesn't exist right now," says Moral.

Designing ready-to-wear is a little different from designing ballet costumes. On the one hand, fashion is about letting people express themselves through their clothes, on the other hand, dance responsibility helps dancers embody their roles, then there are practical requirements.

"When I designed my last collection, I would not have imagined that someone wearing my clothes would be able to lift their legs above their head," says Moral. After each performance, the costumes have to be washed, and each costume is tailored to the dancer's body, so it has to fit very well, and the fittings tend to be last-minute because you have to work on their schedule."

During the stage assembly, the loose velvet straps attached to the suspenders hindered the dancers' movements, but soon, Morioglu and the costume team found a solution: small hidden loops that could hold the ribbons in place without being too constricted.

As for his foray into designing clothes for men, can we expect to see Erdem menswear showing up at London Fashion Week soon?

At least not now -- he will stick to womenswear -- unless, he adds with a laugh, "it's clothes for dancers."