#11 painter LEE IZUMIDA
Our interview series, "Around eit swim: People We Love", features those who support and inspire us. We’re sharing real voices from the people who wear and love eit swim.
For #11, we spoke with Lee Izumida, an artist whose work ranges from acrylic paintings to hand-painted signs, promotional visuals, and window displays. She has loved drawing since childhood, studied art during her time in the U.S., and began working professionally as an artist in 2019. From bold, expressive brushstrokes and lettering, where the texture of the paint remains visible, to still lifes filled with intricate details, her work takes many forms — yet there is always something unmistakably hers.
Lee’s connection with eit swim began through her work for Pilgrim Surf + Supply, where she has created artwork for event flyers and window displays.
Height: 5'5" / eit swim size: bikini top M, tops L / Wearing: ♻︎Overlay Swim Cami Sumiblue, ♻︎Twin-Lines Bikini Top Sumiblue, ♻︎Reversible Super High Bottom Black × Sumiblue (2026)
– What’s your favorite piece from eit swim, and why?Items: ♻︎Overlay Swim Cami Sumiblue, ♻︎Twin-Lines Bikini Top Sumiblue, ♻︎Reversible Super High Bottom Black × Sumiblue
I often wear swimwear while working on paintings in the summer. I love how both tops allow me to move freely without shifting out of place. I’m especially impressed by how they never get in the way of my range of motion.
I’m also grateful that I can still wear the bottoms now during my pregnancy, as my body changes and grows. I love that I can wear them in town too, so I never have to feel like, “I was so busy this summer that I never got a chance to wear a swimsuit.”
– Has wearing eit swim changed anything in your lifestyle or how you feel?
Even on humid days, the back and side silhouettes look beautiful, which makes me feel comfortable and confident enough to hold my head high. That alone can open up my view of the world and make the day feel good.
– What kind of moments are you looking forward to wearing eit swim this summer?
While working at home in my studio and going out on hot summer days. And if I get the chance, I’d love to wear it while enjoying one of my favorite things — swimming in the river.
– At eit swim, we think of swimwear not simply as something to swim in, but as a tool for expressing who you are. Does choosing swimwear or clothing feel like a form of self-expression for you? Do you find any similarities between that and the way you approach making art?
Painting is my main tool for expressing myself. Clothing, on the other hand, is connected to both self-expression and feeling comfortable in my own body. Especially when I’m creating, I believe that being physically and mentally free and comfortable helps me perform at my best. Just as there are colors I want to use and paintings I want to make in the moment, there are colors, materials, and designs I want to wear.