Meet Alexandra Moulavi | Brand Owner of Casa 26

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexandra Moulavi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I honestly had no thought process. It sort of just happened. I never planned to start a brand, and maybe that’s why it worked. I didn’t spend a long time strategizing or developing. I recognized a need in that moment and acted on it without overthinking. Many times in life, it’s the ‘what ifs’ and tiny details that hold us back more than anything. When you have that instinctual idea, that’s when you have to act. You’ll make mistakes along the way (a lot of them), but that’s the only real way to grow.

I started my brand shortly after October 7th, 2023. I was living in Israel and had just moved back to Miami two weeks before the world witnessed the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. I felt helpless as the true gravity of the attacks unfolded, seeing how under-resourced Israel was to defend itself and, at the same time, watching antisemitism surge across the globe. It hit especially hard in the U.S., where Jewish communities felt unsafe in their own neighborhoods, taking down their mezuzahs and tucking in their Star of David necklaces.

In an effort to tangibly support Israel and reignite a sense of Jewish pride, the idea for the “Jewish jeans” was born. An avid thrifter, I started sourcing vintage jeans like Levi’s and patching them with Jewish stars and symbols. Think Chrome Hearts vibes, but Jewish. I posted a video on TikTok showing some of the jeans I made with a cute sound, not thinking much of it, and went to bed.

I woke up to the video going viral, but not in a positive way. The hate and threats I received were unreal. Still, because the video gained traction, a few notable Jewish influencers reached out with love and wanted a pair, and from there, it turned into a business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When you hear your calling, listen to it. I’ve always been passionate about Judaism while also being your typical Miami girl, but never thought to channel that passion into a career. I pursued a job in politics, but nothing ever really stuck, and to be honest, I didn’t really like it. I moved back to Miami because I felt lost. I was 25 with no career, no direction, and no savings. Naturally, I moved back in with my parents. They gave me six months to figure things out, and two weeks later, my entire world changed forever. October 7th woke me up. It pushed me into doing what I was always meant to do. But don’t wait for tragedy to wake you up. Start today. You were brought into this world to fulfill that quiet desire you’ve tucked away all these years.

I grew up pretty secular, but discovered the beauty of Judaism in my college years. The ancient teachings gave me something that nothing else could, bringing purpose and meaning into my life, and helping me find gratitude in all the little details. And with so much assimilation happening today, I felt a pull deep down to share what I had learned, though I never felt “qualified.” There’s a famous quote by the Lubavitcher Rebbe: If you know ‘A’ in the alphabet, you teach ‘A’. You don’t need to know everything. But if you have something meaningful to share and your intentions are good, you have a responsibility to share it.

One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing how many people have messaged me saying my content or my brand made them feel proud to be Jewish again. That’s everything to me, in a time when so many are hiding their identity, being able to spark pride and connection through something as simple as fashion is beyond what I ever imagined.

The biggest challenge for me was moving past the fear (which is always centered on the “I”) and focusing instead on the impact, the need I could help fill. That’s the “we.” The collective. When you take yourself out of the equation and focus on why you’re being pulled in a certain direction, things begin to shift. Clarity shows up. So does success.

If something is meant for you, it will find you no matter what. It will inevitably hit you like a wave, but if you already feel the pull, don’t wait. Let yourself lean in. Let yourself create. Let yourself share. That’s what your soul came here to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out my best friend, Danielle Fox. The quote “if you have one good friend, you have the world” couldn’t apply more. Not only is she the one who recommended me for this Shoutout Miami feature, as the owner of Skin Studio by Doctor’s Daughter in Coral Gables (where she has her own feature), but I genuinely wouldn’t have this business without her.

The biggest advice I can give to anyone starting a business is this: you can’t do it alone. As much as I hated asking for help, and with the phrase “if you want something done right, do it yourself” constantly playing in my head, I needed her. Whether it was for fashion advice (she’s my style icon), branding feedback, or just emotional support when things felt overwhelming, she was there.

Despite building her own brick-and-mortar business from the ground up, she always made time for me. From helping me with my brand name and logo, to picking out samples, to posting about my brand, to giving me the confidence to keep going when I wanted to quit, I truly owe it all to her.

Website: https://casa26bh.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casa26bh/