While e-commerce has been dominated by major corporations and early-entry companies like FashionNova, every so often, an exciting new company comes along to subvert industry standards and create a new niche within the market – much like black-owned, female-led online retailer MuurSwagg. MuurSwagg is a multimillion-dollar e-commerce company led by fashion entrepreneur Jael Roumain. Roumain, who is breaking demographic barriers as a successful black female founder of an e-commerce brand, is undeniably disrupting the modern ecommerce industry with her popular brand. Under Roumain’s watchful guidance and eye for fashion, MuurSwagg is merging conventional pieces with a contemporary twist that provides customers with unique and trendsetting clothing pieces that they cannot find elsewhere, all while reaching out to the local community along the way.
Designers like Roumain have helped to push the boundaries of fashion by offering fresh styles that are not otherwise commonly found in the market, including modern takes on traditional African garments from Roumain’s heritage. This has allowed MuurSwagg to attract a following of loyal fans who appreciate the brand’s creativity and authenticity, particularly amongst the black community. In addition to creating sought-after garments, both Roumain and MuurSwagg care deeply about their consumer base, organizing local events with the goal of positively impacting their audience.
Currently based in Miami, Florida, Roumain and MuurSwagg have committed to throwing annual outreach events to give back to their surrounding community, particularly during covid-19, where Roumain believes that it’s more important than ever to give back and feel connected with one another during trying and isolating times. Hosting yearly Swagg Bag events, where customers are invited to express shop by grabbing as much merchandise as they can within a two-minute period, and other holiday-themed events, Roumain has been intent on fostering positivity and warmth in the local black community through MuurSwagg’s outreach projects.
Roumain’s close ties to her community are evident from the origin of MuurSwagg’s name, as “muur” translates to “the original people of the earth” in the ancient language of the Wichita indigenous people. With her work at MuurSwagg, Roumain is helping to lead the way toward international recognition for both women and women of color in the growing global e-commerce marketplace. These steps forward have been vital to the fashion industry because it helps to break down barriers that have traditionally prevented many deserving women of color from achieving success in this field. By establishing themselves as leaders in this area on par with retail giants like PrettyLittleThing and FashionNova, Roumain and MuurSwagg are paving the way for other female and minority entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps and achieve great things in the world of e-commerce.