Photos and Interview by David Wang.

DW: Ok, first of all, what are you wearing?

KISA: I’m wearing the Plaid Mimi Sports Bra which was one of the first styles we ever made and the Rika Ruffle Skort which we just released this Spring.

The whole idea behind the activewear is that you can and should mix and match between the different patterns. I’m always dressed the weirdest on the tennis court or in pilates, but it’s just fun that way.

I strictly wear Strawberry Western (SW) when I work out. I also have one of our custom Nalgene water bottles and our insulated bottle bag which literally saved me in this heat.

DW: Can you introduce yourself and your brand?

KISA: I’m Kisa, I am one of the co-founders and the designer of Strawberry Western. I grew up in Queens. My partner is Eli. We kind of conceptualized and started the whole brand together pretty much when we were living in LA. The first iteration of Strawberry Western was me upcycling second- hand clothing and repurposing them into new pieces. Then, over the pandemic, while we were hiking a lot and spending time outside in LA, we noticed that there wasn’t really any cute activewear.

Everyone was wearing these monotone outfits, mostly black and earth tones, matching tops and bottoms. I didn’t feel right wearing them; I didn’t feel like myself in skinny black leggings or whatever.

KISA: Eli was the one who suggested we do activewear, really cute, fun activewear. Initially, I was hesitant, but because I had that reaction, we pursued it. I realized there should be cute activewear for going outside, sweating, playing tennis, or just walking, where I can still feel like myself.

DW: And you don’t have to change. It doesn’t look like activewear when you’re walking around.

KISA: Totally. I definitely like the skorts. I always wear them city biking and just continue wearing them throughout the day because they’re functional and cute.

DW: You’ve mentioned Harajuku before. Is that a big influence for you guys?

Kisa: Yeah, that was the starting point. Now, it’s more about the kawaii culture. Everything we design aims to make someone feel cute or have that “Oh my God, that’s so cute” response. Cool goes out of style, but cute is timeless. Something cute in 1965 is still cute now.

DW: There’s a weird timelessness to it.

KISA: Exactly. Whereas labeling something as cool is more specific to a moment. We’re not saying we’re not following moments, but the energy of cute things is more nerdy and less pretentious.

DW: It’s interesting that Japanese culture borrows a lot from American culture. Japanese streetwear, especially. American denim.

KISA: Yeah, there are even Japanese brands that were originally American but have no market in America anymore. Like Mister Donuts, which used to be a donut chain in the States but is now the most popular donut place in Japan.

DW: That is crazy. Americans also love Japanese culture, so there’s a lot of dialogue.

KISA: Yeah, it’s an import-export thing. Harajuku is a Japanese phenomenon from the nineties and early 2000s in Tokyo, but it became popular here, especially during the pandemic. People started experimenting with crazy styling and mixing different vibes. Nowadays, people can wear what they want to work and express themselves more.

Strawberry Western’s brand name and ethos came from Western clothing through a Japanese lens.

Full interview, featured in Issue 7, Living Proof Magazine.