Meet Saya Athletica

We had the good fortune of connecting with Saya Athletica and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Saya Athletica, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The key to our brand’s success has been our ability to step into the minds of our customers and engineer a product that truly enhances their athletic experience. With a team of partners deeply engaged in a variety of fitness activities, we’ve been able to merge our different worlds and create grip socks that are not only versatile, but also meet the specific needs of diverse workouts. Whether it’s providing traction for squats and deadlifts or offering stability during a deep lunge on the Reformer, our socks are designed to support every movement.

Saya Athletica was born out of the desire to inspire our community members by pushing their limits and challenging the status quo. This dream manifested after one of Saya Athletica’s co-founders obtained her Lagree training certificate and noticed that the quality of the grip socks on the market was insufficient for her training. After brainstorming with the other two founders—one a Lagree enthusiast and the other a weightlifter who swears by wearing socks while lifting. This insight led to the creation of Saya Athletica, a brand designed to cater to a broader audience that values both style and performance.

We wanted to offer something truly unique, so we infused our socks with tea tree oil to provide wearers with a sensory boost. This thoughtful addition enhances the workout experience, making each session something to look forward to while adding an extra layer of enjoyment. We realized that grip socks could serve far beyond just Lagree and Pilates. They could be a game-changer for strength training, as well as a variety of sports like soccer. We also set out to create socks that could be worn by both men and women, as many grip socks on the market are designed primarily for women. Our goal was to offer a versatile option that works for everyone. At the heart of our innovation is the ability to think beyond the ordinary, crafting a product that brings together diverse athletic cultures in one cohesive design. This fusion of creativity and functionality is what drives our ongoing success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
After over a decade in the professional world, our founders craved a creative outlet meant to inspire and engage others. Rather than using our skills to help individuals and corporations put out fires, we wanted to transfer our attention to creating a community for individuals to find the strengths within themselves. Saya Athletica’s inauguration offered the pivot we were seeking and the opportunity to use the skills we’ve obtained over our professional tenure to marry creativity and business.

Between the three of us founders, we hold six academic degrees and have well-established careers in our respective fields. We understood the risks involved in stepping into a new territory, but we believed in the potential and knew the payoff would be worth it. We ventured into the unknown because we trusted in our ability to grow, evolve, and make a lasting impact, and we’re confidently happy in the decision we made.

Building Saya Athletica has underscored the vital importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We quickly realized that without balance, both our efficiency and relatability would suffer. To achieve this, we’ve had to master efficiency through becoming experts in market trends, ensuring product quality, and engaging meaningfully with our customers. Along the way, we discovered that authenticity and community are the foundation of relatability, allowing us to connect with our customers on a deeper level and build lasting relationships.

Every entrepreneurial journey brings new lessons, and we’ve embraced them with an open mind and a wide perspective. Our goal is to continuously absorb knowledge and adapt so we can keep creating exceptional, innovative products that resonate with our community and stand out in the marketplace.

Our inspiration is simple – we are inspired by those that continue to show up for themselves and take steps, big or small, to accomplish their goals. We have seen too often that many people sow seeds of self-doubt by comparing themselves to others or feeling like one is too far behind everyone else to make any real change. However, when we zoom out, we can see that everyone starts at the beginning and at their own level. That’s why we chose the word, “saya”, for our brand. The word “saya” means “shadow” in many languages, and for us, it’s much more than a name. It reflects our core belief that the most important competition is with ourselves. Too often, we compare our progress to others’, but true athletic fulfillment lies in outdoing our previous self – facing our “saya” – and constantly striving to be better than we were yesterday. Our shadow is always there, pushing us, reminding us of the work we’ve put in, and inspiring us to go beyond our limits. At Saya, we believe that every person’s journey is unique, and we’re here to celebrate that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Places/Activities: Greystone Mansion Park, Malibu Beach, Runyon Canyon, Griffith Observatory, the Getty Villa, Oaktree Gun Club

Restaurants: Geoffrey’s restaurant in Malibu, Catch LA, Levain Bakery, Malibu Farm Cafe, Portos, BOA Steakhouse

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our families and loved ones who have supported our business from its inception deserve recognition in our story! Our connections with loved ones have been essential in helping us make measurable progress, both in our company and in our lives.

Website: https://www.sayaathletica.com

Instagram: @sayaathletica

Facebook: Saya Athletica

Other: Tiktok: sayaathletica