Issa Rae Found Joy Through Running & She Wants That For You Too

Issa Rae is learning how to slow down. And she wants other women to give themselves permission to do the same. Ironically, running is slowing down for the mogul. 

“It’s about feeling good and feeling your best. It’s not about being perfect,” she said in a Zoom interview. “That movement, and running especially has just felt like such a great release. It makes me happy. And that’s so weird to say, because it’s something my younger self couldn’t imagine finding happiness and in movement in that way. I’m not a dancer, I don’t consider myself athletic by any means. But this is mine.”

Her movement fuels her to create, prioritize wellness and find a moment to reconnect with herself amongst the hectic world around her. The “Insecure” and “Rap Sh!t” creator’s latest collaboration with Beyond Yoga is promoting just that. With the Seek Beyond collection, Beyond Yoga and Rae are celebrating the beauty of the journey over the vanity of results, looking one specific way. Rae penned Seek Beyond’s mantra, which encapsulates that.

“Not a single second has ever been wasted on joy,” she wrote for the campaign, which launched July 25. “And here’s the thing: you can have as much as you want. Take a second, a minute, an hour, a whole day and breathe.” 

With TV and film projects, Viarae prosecco, businesses around Los Angeles and a forthcoming book, slowing down takes intention for Rae. But she’s made movement a ritual as she builds her empire and cherishes the little moments.

In a conversation with Unbothered, the mogul dished on her collaboration with Beyond Yoga, how she redefines wellness for herself and the best business advice she has for Black women in 2025. 

Unbothered: Congrats on everything that you’re doing! You have your hands in so many pots, and they all seem to align with who we know you to be. How did this collaboration come about? How does it align with your personal mission?

Issa Rae: It just came at the perfect time. I’ve been focused on myself, how I feel in my body and how I want to present and feel in this next phase of my life. So it was just a super natural collaboration. I’m already wearing their clothes a lot. I’ve taken my passion for running and taking care of myself seriously. When the opportunity presented itself to be a part of the brand and write their mantra, I was basically talking to myself and thinking about what I wanted to hear and what I wanted other people, my friends, to hear, and the people who contribute to my own wellness. Like, what can I say to them? 

I tell myself I’m going to run, but I’ve never been a fan of running. How did you get into running? Are you doing long distances? What does that look like for you? 

IR: I started off as an early morning walker. That became like, ‘This is my time, and this is the least I can do for myself.’ There’s a little course trail in my area, and I got recognized looking really ugly early on. I was like, damn, I don’t want to stop walking in my neighborhood. So I bought a treadmill so that I could walk at any time of the day. And that turned into just trying out running. Then it turned into I want to run outside and try long distances. And it just became kind of a fun test of what I could do. 

And I feel you on getting caught slipping mid-workout. There was a point where I would just put on anything. Now there’s more of an emphasis, not only to get dressed so I don’t get caught slipping, but also, if I have on a cute set, I think it fuels that movement a little bit more. 

IR: You’re absolutely right. Not only that, now I want to kind of dress up and take care of myself. And it’s dressing up in a way where it’s still comfortable. Even with these, these new sets, I took them back to London after I shot the campaign because I was shooting something, and that kind of became my uniform. The wide leg pants I wear all the time. It bridges the gap between showing up any kind of way and showing up for myself.

I want to talk about that bridge between movement, wellness and creativity. I found that when I’m moving, I write better and I’m more focused. How does movement show up in your creativity? 

IR: We’re the same. Whenever I have writer’s block, whenever I feel overwhelmed by something I’m trying to accomplish in writing, I go and take a walk and literally try not to think about it. But you inevitably think about it, and then something comes. An idea comes just because I feel like I’m outside living, and I’m not putting too much pressure on coming up with the idea. There’s something about just sitting in the misery of a [writer’s] block and then actually walking off and literally getting your creative juices flowing and allowing that movement to complement the thoughts that you’re having in your mind. And it just helps to rev up the creative process in the best way. For me, it’s so necessary. 

I’d be remiss not to mention women in sports, not only on the court and field, but also behind the scenes. I love seeing your journey as part-owner of the San Diego Football Club. What has that experience been for you? Why did you decide to take on this venture?

IR: Sports in general, and women’s sports, the moment that they’ve been having over the last few years, has really thrilled me. It hasn’t been a model [like this before]. In the WNBA in particular, I love basketball, but there was always a sort of stigma against women’s basketball for some reason. And I think this new generation of players has just completely taken ownership of the image of what a female athlete looks like. I think that generation has grown up seeing women like Serena and Venus [Williams] and even these incredible, beautiful Olympic track stars, and just being like, I can own my definition of femininity and be athletic and be a boss and take on anybody in this profession. And it’s so beautiful to see.

I was just talking to the Washington Mystics the other day when they came to LA to play the Sparks. I was also curious about the other ways that they want to show up outside of being athletes. Everyone wants to kind of just show all parts of themselves and not be limited in that perception of being just in one lane. I’m not just an athlete. I’m more than this. I create, I make things, I have passions for this. That’s what it comes down to. And that’s where my passion comes, even in owning teams, it’s just like the stories of each of these individual players. 

Yeah, absolutely. I want to pivot to talk about some of the other things that you’re working on. What are you most excited about right now? 

IR: There’s too much. The several shows that I’m working on really excite me. Obviously, we’re working on the One of Them Days sequel, which is coming together great, and I’m excited to have news about that soon. But lots of things are in the works that I’ll be able to announce really soon. I do have a book coming out in August, I Should Be Smarter Now.

From what I’ve read, the book feels like such a good retrospective, from your first book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, to now. Especially considering the business perspective that you give, and right now it feels so important. What is the best advice you have for other Black women when it comes to business in 2025?

IR: Try to find what your niche is in this particular marketplace. It sounds so obvious, but you’d be surprised. I think even in a culture of content creation, there are so many copycats, and we’re literally in an era of people repeating other people’s words or mimicking other people’s videos, and the originality is lacking in some cases. My advice is always just to find what nobody else is doing and what space you’re filling. And to also think about yourself because it really does start with you. Then find the community to build around that. 

Lastly, any new developments on the Sweet Life revival? 

IR: Not yet, but I hope people are watching it on OWN. But not yet. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

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Drenched in Denim: Shay Mitchell Models Gap x Béis Travel Collaboration

Traveling has never been more stylish, thanks to a new, highly anticipated collaboration that’s loading on the tarmac. Viral luggage brand Béis is teaming up with reader-favorite brand Gap on a denim-dominated travel bag and airport outfit collection. 

Co-designed and modeled by Béis founder, Shay Mitchell, the 25-piece capsule holds meaning for the actress. “I’ve been wearing Gap since I was a kid, so designing a collection that allows you to express your personal style while on the go feels like a full circle moment,” said Mitchell in a press release. “This line is for anyone who wants to look good, feel good, and travel in style.”

Since Béis is beloved for its chic luggage in trendy colorways, and Gap is known for easy, everyday essentials and effortless denim, the two brands have blended fashion and function for an ideal travel collection.

Some of Béis’ bestselling suitcases have been reimagined in a limited-edition light denim blue color, plus pieces like the weekender and travel backpack are available in actual soft denim. Meanwhile, some of Gap’s apparel styles have been dipped in popular Béis colorways like Berry Pink, and upgraded with details to make travel days more comfortable. Think: convertible cargo pants and even a hoodie with an inflatable neck pillow!

Mitchell stars in this campaign alongside her partner, Matte Babel, and their children, Atlas and Rome, to illustrate the “planning, chaos, and joy of travel,” according to the press release.

“Gap x Béis delivers a modern take on versatile travel wear, brought to life through a digitally led campaign that reflects the built-in memories of traveling with a family,” explained Gap president and CEO, Mark Breitbard, in the release. 

So whether you have your own international family vacation planned for the summer… or a road trip with your best friends… or a solo hotel staycation, this collection of travel-ready outfits and bags will get you from A to Z in style. 

Gap x Béis ranges between $8 and $128 for apparel and accessories, and $128 and $378 for luggage and bags. Shop the full collection on Gap.com — or luggage and select apparel on Beistravel.com — on August 1 at 9 a.m. EST.

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From Mesh To Mary Janes — Ballet Sneakers Are *The* Shoe Of The Summer

What do you get when you combine two beloved fashion items? Sometimes greatness (see: the skort, the jort, and the entire concept of athleisure), but often it results in bizarre flash-in-the-pan moments (remember the coatigan? No, neither did I until writing this piece). Thankfully, the latest hybrid trend taking over the fashion world sits firmly in the former camp. Say hello to the sneakerina, a mash-up that balances all the signature grace and poise of the classic ballet shoe with the comfort and grip of your favorite functional trainer. It’s a dream come true for those of us with fond memories of the 2010s twee phenomenon, but an adult need for more arch support.

Unsurprisingly, we can thank the queen of high femme fashion, Simone Rocha, for kickstarting the sneakerina trend back in spring/summer 2020 with her “ballet tracker” platforms. Since then, she’s been joined by both luxury designers and sports brands alike — from kitten heel sneakers at Miu Miu to satin-topped, trek-soled Aura flats at Rombaut, to sold-out collaborations between Sandy Liang and Salomon, Cecilie Bahnsen and Asics, and Onitsuka Tiger and Patou.

This year, the trend has truly exploded, fueled by several much-hyped launches: Adidas’ Samba Mary Jane and lace-up Taekwondo Mei, Puma’s Speedcat Ballet, and Louis Vuitton’s LV Sneakerina. According to fashion search engine Lyst, searches for “sneakerinas” are up 1300%, while StockX, an online marketplace for sneakerheads, has seen a 119% year-on-year increase for “ballerina”. The coolest celebrities are also fans — both Bella Hadid and Charli XCX have been spotted in VIVAIA’s satin Sneakerinas, while Chloë Sevigny is a repeat wearer of Ecco’s Biom C-Trails (a hiking shoe base with ballerina-style laces).

There are many different variations of the trend to satisfy every style — from dainty, satin slipper designs with grippy rubber soles to sportier versions with mesh panels, top-stitched detailing, elastic straps, turbo-charged platforms, eyelet lacing, and toe caps. Naturally, these come on the foot of last year’s coquette trend and, before that, the rise of balletcore, but they reimagine the hyper feminine look to be more functional. These shoes are made for city streets and long days on your feet. Essentially, it’s the viral “wrong shoe” theory in motion, wherein you purposely wear shoes that might be considered antithetical to your outfit to create a more interesting look. This time, though, it’s the shoe itself that is the contradiction.

Have I convinced you yet? If not, perhaps this selection will — all the best sneakerina shoes on the market at every price point.

 Mary Jane Ballet Sneakers

Prim and proper or punk and platform, the humble Mary Jane has had quite the moment in recent years, and that isn’t changing anytime soon, thanks to these sporty trainer-infused styles. Puma’s Speedcat Ballerina in particular is the third buzziest product of early 2025, according to the Lyst Q1 Index Report, and has the seal of approval from Dua Lipa and Emily Ratajkowski. This design is the perfect balance of both styles: a classic ballerina silhouette adorned with sporty, racing shoe signatures (complete with an embroidered Puma logo). Opt for the silver colorway to tick off another key 2025 sneaker trend.

For a similar vibe, I found plenty of slim-fit options, from the luxury (Miu Miu) to the more affordable (Bershka). Alternatively, if you prefer a chunkier shoe, Ash’s Rolls Sneakers come out on top. They’re just like your typical techy, Y2K dad sneaker, but with that strappy, Mary Jane twist.

Lace-Up Ballet Sneakers

If the name doesn’t give it away, Adidas’ Taekwondo Mei Shoe (first introduced in 1988) is a reinterpretation of the original martial arts footwear. Functionally, taekwondo and ballerina shoes have always been very similar: slim-fitted with a slightly pointed toe, made with super-soft leather that molds to the foot, and designed to keep your soles close to the floor. Where this version differs from a modern-day ballet flat is that the rubber outsole better protects your feet from the ground, and the slightly padded, textile-lined insole adds more cushioning and support. Throw in the combination of lace-up fastenings and the brand’s iconic three-stripe design, and you have the ultimate all-occasions shoe that works equally well with a dainty dress for date night or with sweats when running errands.

Adidas isn’t the only destination for stylish, functional lace-up styles. From Axel Arigato’s chunky stompers to Lazy Oaf’s delicate treads, there are options out there for everyone — and you don’t have to opt for a lace-up-the-leg look either. JW Pei has created a stylish alternative that even the biggest ballet flat skeptic could love.

Mesh Ballet Sneakers

Mesh footwear was at its peak last summer, and it isn’t going away soon. This season, the light, airy, and breathable style lends itself perfectly to the sporty sneakerina trend. Unlike 2024’s sheer organza versions, many of this year’s designs feature a heavier, net-like weave.

Platform Ballet Sneakers

Adopting the statement soles and extra inches you usually find on chunky Y2K sneakers and utilitarian trainers, these sneakerina shoes give you all the boost you need, without compromising on comfort.

Satin Ballet Sneakers

Satin ballet shoes are perhaps the most archetypal of the style — conjuring up images of prima ballerinas performing in full costume as princesses, swans, and sugar plum fairies. It’s a tactile fabric that nods to luxury and glamour, and when paired with practical, sporty elements, it creates a pronounced juxtaposition. When choosing your outfit, let these satin sneakerina shoes do the work for you — they’ll make a statement no matter what.

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30 Years Later, Clueless Fashion Is “Still Totally” Iconic: Revisiting The Looks With Its Costume Designer

For Clueless costume designer Mona May, there’s a psychology to crafting a character’s wardrobe. “I think authenticity is one of the most important things when you design costumes, to make sure these characters feel real, and not just like talking Barbies,” she tells Refinery29. “You want the audience to leave the theater and feel like, ‘There was something about that character that felt like me.’” 

For a film as far-fetched as the 1995 classic, starring Alicia Silverstone as a spoiled Beverly Hills high school student, grounding the characters in reality was crucial. Yes, these affluent teenagers had access to runway fashion and daddy’s credit card, but May also wanted to portray girls who loved the mall and were youthful and vibrant. 

While May — whose book The Fashion of Clueless is coming out in October — had no idea what a cultural phenomenon the movie, which celebrates 30 years this month, would become, she knew the costumes were crucial to the storytelling. From the introductory shot — which showed a montage of glitzy high schoolers poolside, cruising in high-end cars, and shopping in their finest threads — fashion was the focus. “It was colorful, it was California, it was high-fashion, it was teenage fun. It had to immediately grab your eye,” she says. 

Pulling together thousands of costumes — 63 of them belonging to Cher (Silverstone) alone — on a $200k budget was no small task, according to May: “[We had to find] every headpiece, every backpack, every pair of sunglasses, every piece of jewelry seen. I don’t even know how I did it, seriously, but we just went for it.” She emphasizes that the film was made in the mid-‘90s, before social media made it easy to discover and access fashion. “It was just the beginning of computers and cell phones, so my research was different. People behaved differently. There was a certain kind of innocence to the time as well,” she says.

Because of that, May felt it was important to establish sartorial social cues (ie: graphic tees for the skaters, exposed slip and stockings with runs for a scattered teacher, etc.), as well bring attention to culturally relevant designer labels (the Calvin Klein slip dress that Cher’s dad refers to as “underwear,” and “totally important designer” Alaïa dress) to the audience not privy to Melrose Avenue.

Because the cast was fairly unknown at the time, there were no giant “PR machines” sending boxes from fashion houses to dress the actors. Still, May enlisted luxury labels for looks such as Cher’s iconic yellow plaid skirt set by Jean Paul Gaultier, along with pieces from Fred Segal and Anna Sui. She also pulled pieces from secondhand stores, army surplus shops, and then-popular mall brands: Body Glove, Roxy, BCBG, Gap, American Rag, Esprit, Vertigo, and Wet Seal (RIP). By combining designer names with mall mainstays, May says she was able to bring out the multifacetedness of each character. 

“Dionne [played by Stacey Dash] is a really good example of that. She wears a lot of different things, from high-end Chanel to the leopard jacket that was thrifted and the vinyl skirt that was from a rave store on Melrose,” May explains. Cher also embodied the juxtaposition, sporting preppy co-ords as much as she did cap-sleeved dresses, while also dipping into the soft grunge looks popular at the time, like her layered black sheer top and chunky jewelry. “She’s not just one kind of girl. She’s good-hearted, discerning, but can also be a bit of a mean girl, too.”

May believes the style holds strongly three decades later because, in many ways, the cult classic was ahead of its time. The movie was nuanced in its portrayal of teenage girls, who were fashion-obsessed and naive, but also quick-witted and opinionated. There was a complexity to them — one May felt a responsibility to translate through their clothing. “It was hard to make that movie,” she says. “[Director] Amy [Heckerling] said that many studios passed on it because they didn’t want girls to talk like this. They wanted movies about boys. It was important to introduce young girls speaking that way: being smart, being self-assured, and knowing what they want. Smart girls deserved smart clothes.” 

May made sure that the outfits reflected each of the characters’ personalities: Dionne’s bold accessories and prints spoke to her spunky personality, Cher’s meticulously coordinated shoes and outfits spoke to her perfectionism. Meanwhile, Tai (Brittany Murphy) had an evolving wardrobe — which went from baggy flannels and graphic tees at the beginning of the film to Cher-approved plaids and finally a happy grunge-meets-girly medium — that spoke to her journey of losing, rediscovering, and coming into herself.

With so many characters to dress, the looks had to work together as well, like Cher and Dionne’s coordinated school looks. On one hand, it brought to mind a familiar scenario of phoning your friend to plan outfits the night before school and, on the other, it symbolized that the two were counterparts. “Throughout the film, I wanted to make sure that they were equally fashionable, equally important,” says May.

Given that the film was set in Southern California, May felt it was important to also portray the many subcultures, from the posh upper echelon to skaters, stoners, and the business-casual kids who took themselves too seriously. Though they were all living in this platinum credit card world, Dionne’s and Murray’s style, for example, was culturally relevant for Black American teenagers at the time, with the Kangol hats, leopard print, and gold jewelry. May accomplished this authenticity by working with each actor to build the character’s wardrobe together. 

Dash, for example, was slightly older, from New York, and had a strong sense of personal style, which played a huge role in constructing her character’s look. In turn, according to May, “Murray [Donald Faison’s character] had to look really good too, because she would never date a slacker.”

The same care was extended to Christian Stovitz (Justin Walker), the suave transfer student from Chicago, who we later find out is gay. May wanted the clothing to lead with his personality and interests — like fashion, which resulted in him wearing hats, a blue tuxedo, and slicked-back hair — and not be a reductive version of what a gay character might “look” like (which wasn’t a given at the time for the industry). 

The fashion in Clueless cemented May’s signature style across all her works — which later included other cult classics like Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and Never Been Kissed — and gave the movie its staying power. It’s the reason why not a single Halloween goes by without a Cher and Dionne recreation, why clothing collections in 1995 and thereafter exploded with Clueless-inspired threads, and why 30 years later, we are still celebrating the film that introduced Alaïa into many of our vocabularies. 

“It’s just incredible that this movie has lived in so many people’s hearts. It’s changed them and made them feel good. I’m so proud, I’ll have a pink bow on my grave.”

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