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Casa 26 - How Alexandra Moulavi Started A Clothing Brand by Accident

By: Tehila Soleimani

Kisses

How does someone create a successful brand seemingly by accident? In a time where everyone is starting their own ventures and brands, it can be hard to create something that stands out, and stands on its own, but that is exactly what Alexandra Moulavi is doing. With 25+ thousand followers on TikTok, and over 10k on Instagram, Alexandra Moulavi created an apparel brand that speaks to modern times, and incorporates religion in a way that is fresh and free from ancient stereotypes. I sat down with Alexandra to ask her how, what, and why she created her emerging apparel brand, Casa 26


Growing up in Miami, being jewish wasn’t much more than shabbat dinners on friday nights. It wasn’t until she came to California for college, being away from home and missing the small traditions she had in the house, that she began to look for a connection to judaism. After college, and a long journey with her spirituality, Judaism became the forefront of her daily life, and something she immerses into her everyday life. After undergrad, and after receiving her masters degree in conflict resolution, she says that her goal was “to help create peace between Israel and neighboring countries”. After difficulty finding a job in Israel, she decided to return to Miami, to regroup, and figure out her next step when the October 7th Massacres happened. Seeing the rise in antisemitism, and feeling the need to help jewish people, she began brainstorming ways to help. 


At first, adding judaic patches onto jeans was meant to be a creative outlet and a way to raise money for a cause she was passionate about, turning zero profits for the first 6 months. After posting photos of the decorated denim on TikTok, her posts began to gain notice and attraction, much of it negative. Not letting that stop her, Alexandra shipped a few pairs of jeans to the few positive commenters as a thank you, and there was no stopping from there, posting more videos, and gaining attraction from young jewish women online. 

After a viral set of videos, she began purchasing more jeans, and posting on an instagram page with the intention of bringing light and inspiration to the jewish community at a dark time. From there, orders kept coming in, and ideas were flowing. An event with Sophie Harris (of Hot Girls Do Shabbat) took place in February, and Alexa has since caught the eye of Alice & Olivia, and hosted several denim-design pop-ups in their stores in Florida, with more to come across the east coast!


The social media aspect of Casa 26 and Alexa’s socials have brought a fresh and modern take on religion where it can often feel daunting and outdated. Providing a place for those who are searching the in-between, not looking to fit into a box, and looking for a way to appreciate their culture in their day-to-day life. When there was a time so recent in history that the jewish star became a symbol of powerlessness, and became a way to degrade people by categorizing them as the “other”, Casa 26 is reclaiming the narrative and serving it up fresh for Gen-z. By reinterpreting what the Magen David (star of david) means on a piece of clothing she is allowing “the people to take their power back and show off their Judaism in a way” they were not able to at one point or another. 


As for moving forward, Alexa’s goals are beyond apparel. She envisions Casa 26 growing into a physical community along the line, but for now, she plans to expand the line of products, focusing on the girls. Candle sticks, Prayer books, will all accompany a recent release of graphic tees. As the brand grows, so does the community of followers online Alexa is letting her light shine, and bringing it to your feed in an inspiring way.


Follow Alexandra and Casa 26 now, so you can say you were there before the hype ;) 


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