Pisay was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. Her parents escaped the civil war in Cambodia and she moved to Seattle, Washington at the age of two. Pisay loved the arts and began painting, drawing, dancing, and performing at a young age. When she reached her teen years her parents pushed her to excel academically. She obliged and earned a scholarship to attend the University of Washington. However after a year she found herself completely unhappy and instead decided to pursue a career in fashion, all the while continuing to dabble in the performing arts.