Fashion

There’s a particular kind of relief that comes from finally being seen. For Karima Karmouzi, the Moroccan founder of the Dubai-based athleisure brand Ikasu, that realisation arrived not in a boardroom or a boutique, but in the quiet space between a corporate burnout and a calling she could no longer ignore. Before Ikasu, there was corporate Karima – moving to Dubai eight years ago, climbing the ladder at luxury PR agencies and tech giants, handling communications across the Middle East and Africa. She was good at her job. But she was also, in her own words, extremely overwhelmed. The positive shift came when she worked out, and eventually, she wanted to build something around that feeling. Active wear became her medium. It was during the Covid years that the idea of launching her own brand crystallised. The world was living in leggings, everyone was questioning their life choices, and suddenly wellness became a global conversation. Karmouzi didn’t conduct a market study – she just felt a call.

With 5,000 dirhams, she started contacting suppliers, drawing on her father’s contacts in the garments industry while also searching online, receiving samples until she found the right fit. She built the brand while still working her corporate job, always answering yes when the annual questionnaire asked if she was involved in any outside business. When her day job became too demanding to juggle both, she made a choice – and chose Ikasu. Her first sale remains a vivid memory. An Emirati influencer posted, and her Shopify lit up. In that moment, she knew she had a business. But Ikasu was never just another athleisure label in a city saturated with them. It was born from a very specific frustration, one that anyone with curves in this part of the world might recognise. As someone who works out five times a week, Karmouzi was buying from international brands and found them expensive, but more than that, she noticed they were made for non-Arab figures. They weren’t flattering her curves as an Arab woman. The colour palette was always the same: black, navy, more black. In a region that celebrates colour, the active wear aisle felt like an oversight. She wanted to create something happy. She noticed the Arab girl, the brown girl in general, wasn’t very well presented in that space.

So, she started with what she needed herself: leggings that were truly high-waisted, without the stitching that creates unflattering lines, padded tops that could function as both bra and top, and coverage for those who don’t want to bare their midriffs in mixed-gym settings. The brand grew organically from there. Today, the Ikasu customer spans from Dubai to the US, France to Nigeria, all through organic reach and targeted ads primarily in the UAE, with Saudi emerging as the next big market and India following closely. The team is now five strong, with logistics and accounting outsourced, allowing Karmouzi time to focus on what matters: the product and the people who wear it. Collaborations have included women like Muna and Kika, not because of follower counts but because they already believe in the brand and spread a positive message around wellness.

These partnerships go beyond visibility into genuine co-creation, bringing fresh perspectives on colours and designs that respond to different needs. Listening to customers has shaped the product line in unexpected ways. When women mentioned feeling bloated during their periods and wanting oversized t-shirts, Karmouzi added them to the Ikasu lineup. When customers spoke about riding with drivers and wanting more coverage, the brand adapted. Every t-shirt now carries a positive message, whether it’s “Keep Moving” or the mudras of knowledge, the awakening of the inner eye, always a visual reminder to look inside. The best-sellers remain leggings, t-shirts, and jumpsuits, with the jumpsuit in particular drawing messages from women who hadn’t felt confident after pregnancy until they wore something that finally hugged their body the right way.

Business is business, but for Karmouzi its those messages that stand out as reminders of the mission. Building a brand from the ground up has taught Karmouzi things no corporate job could. She learned that she was capable of doing that much, that some things are difficult for a woman entrepreneur in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She learned that problems always have solutions before they even exist, and that her role as founder is simply to find them. The first time something went wrong, she panicked. Now she just starts thinking about the solution first. To succeed, she believes, you need to be obsessed, because anyone can launch a brand, but the ones who stay are the ones who keep building even when the numbers aren’t showing. Wellness, for Karmouzi, extends far beyond the physical.

It’s about being aligned with yourself, mentally and spiritually. It’s not about being a size extra small, but about feeling good in your own skin, having a strong body so you can carry your children or play with them. Karmouzi says she works out to keep her sanity, not for a six-pack. Success, too, is broader than the usual definitions. It’s being successful in different areas of your life, being close to your family, being aligned spiritually whatever your faith, and financially yes, but if you have no bonds with your family, no love around you, then what’s the point? Karmouzi doesn’t claim to have balance, but with Ikasu she has found harmony. For Karmouzi vision has always been about representation. About designing for the woman who walks into a gym, catches her reflection, and finally feels a sense of contentment. Its all about creating clothes that work for every activity, every body, every mood. About reminding women that wellness is a daily practice of showing up for yourself. It’s also about showing up for the Arab girl who was never the blueprint, but absolutely should have been.

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Images: Supplied