Koa is a company built for everyone under the sun and is deeply rooted in the Hawaiian islands.
Check out our interview with the founders below.
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Tune Into Your Nature With Koa
All three of you grew up or are from Hawai'i, a place where the sun washes over every corner of the island during all hours of the day. How did your upbringing in the islands Inspire your current ventures into the world of skin care?
Growing up and spending time in Hawai'i gives you the opportunity to connect with nature in a way that’s rare in other places. Everytime you go outside (and even when you’re inside), you’re reminded of the natural world around you. It’s easy to forget about what’s happening to your skin because of all the time spent outside.
With all of the sun and exposure to the elements, sunscreen is critical for keeping your skin healthy and preventing skin cancer and premature aging (a major cause of which is UV exposure). As people from Hawai'i, our lifelong relationship with sunscreen (we’ve tried everything out there!) helped us develop a formula that meets our high performance standards while feeling great on skin.
Hawai'i also has 10 of the 14 recognized climate zones, so your skincare has to be flexible enough to work in a wide range of conditions. That variability was a major driver of our product strategy, as our products are flexible enough to work across environments and climates. Whether you’re surfing or subway surfing, Koa keeps your skin healthy and happy.
With our products we also wanted to capture the feeling of being in Hawai'i. We often say we feel our healthiest when we’re in Hawai'i, not just our bodies, but our skin too. We wanted to share that feeling with customers so when they use our products they get the feeling of being in Hawai'i. We use Hawaiian botanicals like Kukui Nut, Giant Pacific Seaweed and [Hibiscus] which not only smell like the islands, but also give you that fresh, sun-kissed sensation of visiting (our) home.
Walk me through the creation of Koa, how did you all meet and when did you decide to build this brand?
Hiro and Ty met while working together in New York City. They always wanted to try their hand at something entrepreneurial and first had the idea for starting a skincare brand in late 2017. They both wanted to share the skincare knowledge they had from growing up in Hawai'i with a broader audience.
They met Kapono at his design studio in early 2019 and connected over their mutual roots in Hawai'i, that’s really when Koa was born. Koa launched in the summer of 2019 and we’ve continued to build the brand everyday since.
In addition to building great products inspired by our upbringing, we hope that our brand can serve as a platform for people to learn more about Hawai'i, why it means so much to us and how it can add to global conversations about things like sustainability and multiculturalism.
How do you implement pre-modern Hawaiian philosophies into your products and what does that look like for someone who didn’t grow up in Hawai'i?
Hawai'i and its local culture is a driver of the brand in many ways, but one thing we really wanted to incorporate was the heritage botanical ingredients found in Hawai'i and Asia (we all share Asian ethnicities). Many of the botanical ingredients we use currently and are planning to use in future products, have been used by their native cultures for centuries for their health benefits and we wanted to preserve that heritage while also incorporating modern ingredients to boost their efficacy.
Another core part of the brand is our emphasis on being connected with nature and doing less harm to the environment. That has been a key philosophy of Hawaiian culture since its beginning. The ancient Hawaiians understood that we are really stewards of nature and guests on the land, so it’s our responsibility to take care of it, as it takes care of us. In modern Hawai'i, people have a deep sense of sustainability that comes from living on an island and a respect for nature that we try to emulate as a brand.
What are you each responsible for behind the scenes and how do you split the work amongst yourselves and your team?
There is quite a bit of overlap when it comes to responsibilities of our roles, being a small team, many of the workflows and decisions we have to make involve all of us. At a high level, Kapono handles all of the creative and brand design decisions (ranging from packaging and web design, to social media posts and ads). Hiro handles a lot of partner workflows and strategic decisions, as well as being the lead on our website and marketing strategy. Ty works on strategic decisions, as well as managing relationships with retail partners, customers, and handling most aspects of the supply chain (working with our suppliers and logistics team). We all work on product development and major brand decisions.
What are the core ingredients in your products and how versatile are they in other climates?
Some of the key botanical ingredients in our products are things like Yuzu, Kukui Nut, Giant Seaweed, and Green Tea. We chose our botanical ingredients for their heritage and health benefits, and we paired them with modern ingredients to make sure they perform regardless of the climate.
For example, our cleanser removes oils and buildup without stripping skin of natural moisture, something that can be an issue in arid climates. Our moisturizer is a light-weight formula that isn’t too greasy in humid regions, but also works in drier environments due to the hyaluronic acid we include to help skin retain moisture.
Our SPF is an all around great pick for the zinc oxide protection it gives (which is much better for humans and the coral) and its high SPF and UVA protection ratings. It’s really designed to be a mineral SPF that you can wear comfortably everyday, without really feeling like you’re wearing SPF.
The preconceived notion with skincare for men is often looked at as something that “emasculates” them. How did you all shatter this perception with your personal values and line of products?
We think of ourselves as a non gendered skincare brand, because everyone has skin and we believe it’s important for everyone to think of skincare as an essential part of daily health (like brushing your teeth). Men are definitely a little more hesitant to jump into skincare until it becomes an issue (i.e., they start to notice the aging effects), but we’re really working on framing it as a preventative step to maintain your skin health. A lot of guys don't want to add more steps to their routine, but once they try it, they realize it really does make a difference in how their skin feels. It isn’t just about looking better, but feeling better too! Sustainability is very crucial in today's world and it seems like ‘Living Koa’ embodies the principles that surround this.
How have you enforced the importance of sustainability into your brand and what steps are you taking to improve?
Sustainability drives a lot of key decisions we make as a brand. From a brand building perspective, we spent a lot of time learning about supply chains and their impact on the plant. We made sure to seek out partners who share our views on sustainability and made an effort to minimize our carbon footprint as much as possible (and offset the rest with carbon credits). A few examples are using manufacturers with non-fossil fuel power sources, closed-loop water systems to prevent runoff and contamination, and using recycled paper or FSC-certified paper for all shipping packaging. We also use USPS for delivery as they have one of the lowest carbon footprints per package of all mail carriers and we are testing carbon-free local delivery methods in the near future!
That being said, we are far from perfect and are always trying to improve in terms of sustainability. Things we’re working on now include moving our packaging from virgin plastics to aluminum and post-consumer recycled plastics. We initially chose plastic because it’s lightweight (lowering its carbon footprint associated with transportation) and durable (fewer wasted components), but as we grow as a brand, we always want to explore better alternatives and improve how we do things.
I saw that the company itself donates 1% of every purchase to a non profit organization of the customers choice and that’s incredible. How do you curate the organizations that your customers get to choose from?
Previously we donated 1% of our proceeds to ocean preservation efforts, but felt like it would be great to open up the giving opportunities to more causes we care about. For our new giving program, we partnered with Beam to find and vet the organizations we donate to. We plan on growing this list as time goes on, but really wanted to give customers the opportunity to direct their donation to the causes they care about most.
The current giving options we offer customers to choose from are: Stop AAPI Hate, Alu Like (Native Hawaiian opportunity creation), The O’ahu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation (ocean preservation), and Reclaim (LGBTQ+ mental health).
How do you all plan on expanding your brand in the nearby future?
We have a lot of things in mind for the future, including a product line expansion planned for later this year! One thing we always are mindful of when thinking about new products is making sure we aren’t putting them out for the sake of having new products. The cosmetics world is full of fad products, so we try to make sure we are making what our customers want and not just adding things to the world for the sake of it.
Another exciting thing we’re working on is a continuation of our ‘Living Pono’ (in Hawaiian pono means ‘good’ or ‘righteous’) collaboration program which we’ve been testing on a small scale. For the program, we partner with fashion brands to use their leftover fabric that might have otherwise gone to waste, and repurpose it into useful objects. Our first test of this program was a collaboration with Chromat to create hold-all bags from their leftover swimsuit fabric. We’re working on our next collaboration with two great Hawaii brands now, so keep an eye out for it soon!
Rhinestone of the World
So, over the years, your looks with the gel hair and the face gems have become a staple. Where did those ideas come from?
I wanted to try something new. And then the swirls kind of just happened. When I was hanging out with a friend because they used to gel their hair a lot. I was like 'oh, I kind of want to try that.' But then I started to do other things and it kind of was, I was trying to figure out, I guess, how to feel comfortable, like still feeling my feminine energy, even though I had short hair, and I feel like the swirls kind of gave that little feminine touch. I am non-binary, but, I do feel like I identify more with more feminine energy. So I feel like I still wanted to have that even though short hair can be perceived as masc. So I feel like that's kind of like how it originated more, just like trying to figure out how to still feel feminine with shorter hair. Since it's perceived differently from long hair. It's like feminine, even though that's very backward thinking, you know?
I get you. You’re practically like Betty Boop.
Yeah!
How did you establish yourself differently from other artists and designers?
I've been in situations where I’ve been compared or a lot of people ask where my inspiration comes from, and I feel like it's a very generic answer, and it comes from everything that I consume. It's more like everyday life or just like a specific thought or a feeling. And I feel like, with my rhinestone looks, my initial thing is always to capture. A lot of people think that it started from Euphoria or something like that. And like in all honesty, it didn't. Like the way that it did was, so like, I was a fashion design major, in college and I graduated and I had like a fashion show and everything with school and I did use rhinestone trim and stuff like that. So, I had like leftover rhinestone trim and I was bored one day. And I had a fascination with editorial makeup, but I was always just like, “oh, like how do you even get into that? Like what, what is that?” You know? So I was just like one day I had like these little hair clips in my hair that kind of were like the same rhinestone as like what I had. And I was like, “What if I made that little flower clip on my eye?” And it was really weird. Since I tried gluing it, it was very uncomfortable. That was like when I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so it was kind of just like a wing moment. And then I didn't do anything again after that. A couple of months later it was Virgo season and I had the same trim and I wanted to just do the Virgo sign. And I think that's the look that started it — I was just like, this is fun. And I just felt in a way I was kind of creating my own world.
Your looks are so thorough and so interesting, are there any forms of media that inspire your work?
It's honestly everything and anything. My friends do inspire me. As well as everything I surround myself with. I do feel like I am inspired by fantasy stuff for the most part, especially because during quarantine, I played a lot of like ‘Zelda Breath of the Wild.’ So I got very intrigued in that realm and like fantasy with swords and stuff. My looks kind of feel protective, you know, warrior pieces where it's like my protection for myself in the world when I go out or just stuff like that. But yeah, I feel like it's everything, it's never really like a specific thing. It could be a thought or like a feeling or just something I like looking at.
So, you've been featured in office in the past and since that experience, what could you say has changed about you?
I feel like when I was interviewed last, I just came out as non-binary, and now it's like the year anniversary and I just feel like I've become more fluid with myself. And I feel like people can see that in my artistry because I feel like now I'm just really doing what I feel represents me most. I'm not trying to cater to what people expect me to be. And I feel like that was like what I was starting to realize early last year. But now, I just feel more confident in myself, and I feel more secure because I feel like I know who I am and I know where I'm going. And I'm just very grateful for that. Like, I was reading the article the other day and it's sort of like a full circle because a lot has happened in the past year. And I'm very grateful for the change that I've been able to have in myself and just like what I've been surrounding myself with too.
And I just felt in a way I was kind of creating my own world.
That's sweet. Okay. So since you're a designer, rhinestone artist, and model, how does your self- expression vary in all these different meetings?
Some days, I prefer to do one over the other or sometimes I'd like to mesh it into both and I feel like now I'm starting to realize that I want to incorporate these looks more within like modeling and having like a whole production or like doing them on other people for productions. Like honestly, one of my biggest dreams is to be booked by, you know, a huge artist, or a magazine spread, or music video. That would be like a dream honestly because I noticed that I enjoy doing it more on other people. I like being able to see my work and just seeing it on someone else instead of on myself, it's such a like different refreshing feeling.
One of my favorite looks from you is the question mark look you did. What specifically goes into these details and looks?
Really? I was kind of just like, I don't know what I want to do. I'm like ‘I want to do a look, but nothing comes to mind.’ I just felt like I was a question mark. So, then I said, “question mark.” Sometimes the looks are so simple in that sense where it's like a literal thought or like some are just like big concepts. Like, I did a four elements series that I would love to redo one day just because, I feel I can do a lot better now. But it was, I think, my biggest series and my favorite one is the water one just because I feel that it showcased, not just my patience level, but more of the artistry to it.
Can we expect any colors or themes that are going to come to mind in future projects?
For my rhinestone series, with the illusions, it focused a lot on black and whites, then the last clip is like a powerful red look just because that's kind of what the project is like. It kind of represents just very like in the dark and very lost in your thoughts. When I think of black and white, I feel like the loss of color, just various stagnant feelings. Then the red is kind of in your face. That's like the color play I wanted to make evident. I don't know what colors I'll be playing with next, but I do have some stuff, cause I am going to LA very soon. I feel like I'm going to be playing with some like orange and pink just because of the sunsets over there.
What are you trying to say with your work?
I want when people see my stuff to just feel something. No matter what it is, if you can feel a genuine feeling for my work, then I feel like I know that I did something really good. I don't want it to just be pretty, I want that when you look at it, you question, “where does that come from?” Like, “what inspired this? Oh, I feel this way. I wonder if that's how Kitty made it, how Kitty felt doing that.” And I feel like that's definitely what I want as an artist too.
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Trixie Mattel: Bottle Blonde is Forever
When I think of Trixie Mattel I think of her makeup, her eyes, and her snatched cheekbones. How did her iconic makeup look come to be?
I always wanted to be a drag queen you could pick out of anywhere. Where most drag queens want to look like women, I wanted to look like a toy. I would look at Amanda Lepore, Dolly Parton, and Lady Bunny, I knew I wanted to go big and blonde with a really manufactured makeup look.
Really bringing the Barbie Doll look to full affect.
Yeah, I always envisioned Trixie to be like a doll, always the same hair and costumes yet still perplexed and not knowing what to wear. There’s something so glamorous about fussing to just look the same everyday. I wanted to create a look that is iconic and unique to Trixie.
What was the driving force behind you creating Trixie cosmetics?
I used to work in cosmetics and I loved doing people’s makeup! I worked at an Ulta in a small suburb, so my clients were mostly teen girls and old white ladies. Then I worked at a Mac in Mayfair, Milwaukee and probably 90% of my clients were women of color. I had a clientele of all ages, genders, walks of life. I watched and learned what all different kinds of people liked and wanted out of makeup.
That must have really inspired the way you looked at your collections.
Look, from drag queens to your aunt who only wears brown mascara, everyone wants the same thing out of makeup. They want something that is fair price, fun, easy to use, and performs well. Of course we might have different looks and techniques, but everyone wants the same thing. I didn’t start out to make a company that only makes makeup for drag queens, I wanted to make something that was for everyone.
I grew up with Polly Pocket and Barbie so the look of the packaging brings up such a feeling of nostalgia. What was the inspiration behind the packaging and imagery?
I have always been a product junkie. When I was young, every paycheck went to makeup and I found that the packaging I loved the most was from makeup at places like Claire’s or toy makeup packaging. I would buy Barbie carrying cases and use it as my makeup case. I just wanted everything to look toy like. I wanted everything to look like the fantasy I wanted to live in. But I found that I was stuck between getting cute toy makeup with a not so great formula, or pro formula in basic black packaging. Our vision was getting pro formulas into kids toy packaging. If I’ve learned anything from drag it’s just that adults want to feel like kids. At Trixie cosmetics, we don’t claim to be reinventing the wheel but we are really focused on the narrative, we are focused on how to make a world out of every collection.
You guys did amazing last year with sales, all things considered. How did you manage that as a company?
People bought more makeup from us last year than ever before. People weren’t even going anywhere but they were on these zoom calls tarted up and loving it, and that really helped us grow so much this last year. We were also able to move into a bigger office so we could be at work in our own spaces but still able to feel almost like we were together. For us it’s really about teamwork, we are always trying to impress each other and I think that pushes us all to work harder and think bigger. We have at least one major launch a month this year, last month we launched 'Bottle Blonde' and 'Back to the Fuchsia' within two weeks of each other and have much more coming.
What does the Trixie team look like?
Creatively, our team is all gay people, women, different colors, ages and walks of life. Like I said, we all manage to work together and still keep each other inspired to be better than our best. We’re an independent makeup company but we are just doing our own thing and having fun. I always say every company has a pride collection, but what if there was actually a LGBTQIA+ owned and run makeup company that was doing that?
Where do you Trixie cosmetics going in the future? What do you want to do next?
Unlike most independent makeup CEOS, I have a whole career outside of my makeup line, so I can’t always be in the office or on the production floor. With that being said though, I obviously want us to keep growing. I want to continue to create new color collections, I mean we have things lined up for probably the next year and a half. I could never have predicted the response we have gotten about our products and so, like everything I do with Trixie, I just want to keep going bigger and better. I’m always trying to bridge the gap between the kind of makeup Trixie wears and makeup real people wear every day. Why can’t you get this really fun packaging with a really cunty name with a product and a shade you can actually use every day! We have products that dare you to go out of your comfort zone every once in a while, but we’re still looking out for the natural beauties.
What are you trying to say with your makeup and with your collections?
We just want to remind people that makeup isn’t that serious. We’re reminding people that the beauty industry as a whole doesn’t just have to be about severity. We aren’t trying to make people think that everything has to be serious, cunty, perfect, and fierce. We’re reminding you that I’m still a man in a wig selling toy blush, but at the end of the day we’re all in a little bit of drag. We’re all doing body modifications. There is no difference between wearing 12 pairs of lashes like I do or just one coat of brown mascara. We’re all changing parts of ourselves knowing it’s temporary and not real, but there’s something very glamours about that type of self care. Life can be very droll and very boring sometimes, but I’m happy knowing that somebody might reach into their bag one day and pull out a mascara that’s in a pink tube with my name on it and just for a second they’ll get a little break.
