Isen & Co Is Bringing Personality Back to Activewear
images courtesy of Isen & Co
What started as a shared frustration with finding the perfect pair of training tights became Isen & Co, an activewear brand rooted in nostalgia, optimism and a healthy dose of self-irony. Founders Louise Hägglöf and Caroline Rosencrantz tell us about building a brand that celebrates movement in all its forms.
Ulrika Lindqvist: How did the idea for Isen & Co come about? And how did you take it from idea to reality?
Louise Hägglöf: It actually started with a conversation Caroline and I had in the spring of 2025, sparked by something as simple as our shared frustration with finding the perfect pair of training tights. That conversation quickly turned into a much bigger discussion about the activewear landscape and what we felt was missing. We both love sports and movement, but we couldn’t quite find a brand that reflected our relationship with it. Something that combined genuinely great sportswear with a sense of humor, nostalgia and personality.
Caroline Rosencrantz: I think we both felt that activewear had become a little too serious, or a little too perfect. On one side, you had the very technical, performance-driven brands, and on the other, this incredibly polished wellness aesthetic. We wanted to create something that existed somewhere in between. Once we started talking about it, we couldn’t really stop. We began building the brand world, developing the products and figuring out how to turn our ideas into something tangible. Our backgrounds complement each other quite naturally, Louise comes from operations and project management, while I’ve spent most of my career working with brands, design and creative direction. And suddenly, what started as a conversation about tights had turned into an actual company.
UL: Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for your first collection?
CR: A lot of our inspiration comes from the sports culture of the 80s and 90s. There’s something about that era that we both love – the colors, the silhouettes, the campaigns, but also the attitude towards sport. It felt a little less curated and a lot more playful. We wanted to capture that feeling without making clothes that look like costumes from another decade. So it’s really about taking nostalgic references and translating them into something contemporary, wearable and relevant today. We also look far beyond sportswear for inspiration. Fashion archives, old advertisements, film, photography and everyday culture are all part of the ISEN universe.
LH: And from a product perspective, we wanted to start with a small collection of pieces that people would genuinely use. Great tights, a versatile sports top, a sweatshirt you want to live in, and a few accessories. Nothing overly complicated, just really good essentials with a distinct identity.
UL: I’ve read that you both like to exercise; can you tell us about that and if it inspired Isen & Co?
LH: Movement has always been a big part of my life. I’m a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and I’ve run five marathons. I genuinely love training, both the physical and mental aspects of it. I also know how easily exercise can become associated with pressure, numbers and performance. I think that’s something we wanted to challenge with ISEN&Co. You can take your training seriously without taking yourself too seriously.
CR: We both exercise a lot, and I think that’s part of the point. I love running, Pilates and trying different types of workouts. For me, movement is often about getting out of my head and into my body. It’s as much a mental reset as a physical activity. Neither of us believes there’s one right way to move. You can run marathons, go for a walk, play tennis terribly or just stretch on your living room floor. It all counts. That perspective has shaped the brand from the beginning. We want to celebrate movement, not prescribe what it should look like.
UL: What did you feel was missing in activewear that you wanted to add to the market with Isen & Co?
CR: Personality, to put it simply. We felt that a lot of activewear brands had started looking and sounding very similar. There was either this incredibly polished, almost untouchable wellness world, or a very intense performance-driven narrative. We missed the warmth, the humor and the cultural references. Brands that make you feel something beyond wanting to buy a product. We wanted ISEN&Co to have a strong visual identity, but also a voice. Something that could make you smile, surprise you or feel like a brand you’d actually want to spend time with.
LH: And importantly, we didn’t want to compromise on functionality to achieve that. The clothes still need to perform. We wanted to combine the quality and practicality of proper sportswear with the personality and creativity you might expect from a fashion or lifestyle brand.
UL: What was your approach to designing the collection? Where did the process begin?
CR: We actually started with the world around the clothes before getting into every product detail. We spent a lot of time defining how ISEN&Co should look, feel and communicate. The references, the colors, the photography, the tone of voice. We wanted to build something recognizable, rather than just put a logo on a pair of tights. From there, we worked backwards into the collection. Every piece needed to feel like it belonged in that world, but also make sense on its own.
LH: We were very deliberate about keeping the first collection focused. Rather than launching lots of different styles, we wanted to get a few essentials right. Fit, fabric, comfort and versatility were incredibly important. We wanted pieces that work across different types of movement and that you’d reach for again and again. There’s been a lot of testing, sampling and refining. We both wear and test the products ourselves, which means we’re probably quite demanding customers of our own brand.
UL: Were there any particular challenges or unexpected discoveries during the design or production process?
LH: I think one of the biggest discoveries was just how many decisions go into creating something that looks relatively simple. A pair of tights might seem straightforward, but every detail matters – the fabric, the fit, the waistband, the stitching, how it feels when you move and how it holds up over time. Getting those things right takes patience, and sometimes several rounds of adjustments. There’s also the reality of building a brand from scratch. You have to balance your creative ambitions with production timelines, minimum order quantities and budgets. We’ve learned a lot about knowing when to push for another improvement and when something is actually ready.
CR: And I think we’ve learned that having a very clear vision is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great because we know what we want, but it also means we’re quite particular about the smallest details. It’s been a very humbling process in many ways. You can have a beautiful moodboard and a great idea, but then you have to make it work in real life. That’s where things get interesting.
UL:Could you tell us a bit about the color palette and how you developed it?
CR: Color is a huge part of ISEN&Co’s identity. We were drawn to the richness and optimism of vintage sportswear, especially the color combinations you see in old tennis, running and ski references. We love classic sportswear colors like navy, red and blue, but we’re also interested in how they interact with softer, more understated tones. We wanted a palette that feels nostalgic but still contemporary, with colors that can live together across different collections. We also wanted to move away from the idea that activewear needs to exist in fifty slightly different shades of beige. Nothing against beige, of course. We just think it could use some company.
UL: What would you say are the core ideas and values that define the brand today?
LH: Quality, versatility and inclusivity are really important to us. We want to create products that people can rely on, regardless of how, when or why they choose to move. We’re also very conscious of building the brand at a pace that makes sense. We’d rather create fewer, better pieces and give each of them the attention they deserve than constantly chase the next drop.
CR: I’d add optimism, nostalgia and a healthy dose of self-irony. One of the things we talk about a lot is that movement should feel like something you get to do, not something you have to do. We want to bring back some of that uncomplicated joy. And while we’re very serious about building a great brand and making great products, we don’t think that means everything around it has to be serious. We want ISEN&Co to feel like a world people want to be part of. The clothes are obviously central to that, but so are the people, the conversations, the experiences and everything that happens around them.
UL: What do you think is still missing in activewear? What do customers want next?
CR: I think people are becoming increasingly good at recognizing when a brand has a genuine point of view and when it’s simply following an aesthetic that’s currently popular. There are so many products out there already. We don’t necessarily think the world needs another hundred variations of the same leggings. What it needs are brands that offer something more meaningful than just another product launch. A sense of identity, a community, a reason to connect.
UL: Looking ahead, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or ideas you’re especially excited about?
LH: We’re really excited about our new sweatshirt design we’re launching soon!
CR: And of course, expanding the product range even further this upcoming spring. We can’t get into any details, but a little preview is that we’re looking into what makes the perfect windbreaker. A great pair of shorts are also on our list.
