Who is Aminah Musa

Aminah Musa is the Co-founder and Lead Designer at PaliRoots.

About PaliRoots

PaliRoots is a designer clothing brand that focuses on weaving Palestinian culture into reasonably priced, high-quality clothing lines. 

Aminah’s Journey

Aminah Musa started about six years ago, initially expecting to start small. "We were just going to print locally, you know, we're not going to really get into fashion too much," Aminah explained. 

That changed quickly, with PaliRoots developing into a clothing line that is both innovative and culturally significant. 

She explains, "We are a brand that is now conceptual, that's designing cut and sew pieces, that shares a story and has those little intricate details that make a really big difference in fashion. We use fashion as a means to educate people about Palestine and the Palestinian people in the culture."

The shift toward storytelling paid off, not just in terms of brand differentiation, but also personal fulfillment. 

Aminah appreciates the flexibility e-commerce provides, even when the work gets tough. "You’re actually working a lot more, but you're putting hours into things you really love," she says. 

The ability to choose her own schedule and listen to her body's needs makes it a mentally healthier work environment for her. 

After nearly seven years, she finds it surreal to see people wearing PaliRoots products, especially amid current events in Gaza where many are representing Palestine through what they wear. 

PaliRoots Priorities

PaliRoots strives to drive awareness toward Palestinian culture through high-quality designs painstakingly sewed by hand. Aminah believes that culturally specific fashion choices nurture community and curiosity. 

She says, “It's something little…[People ask] ‘Hey, where does it come from? What’s the history?’ There’s so much storytelling that can be told in a garment.”

The company provides flexibility for employees to work in a way that allows them to be mentally and physically capable of giving 100% effort.

Their measure of success is not about strict hourly requirements, but rather meeting agreed-upon deadlines for projects. "It's not how we do it. We say like, this is a big project. We expect this project to be done by this day. Can you do it? Yes. Cool. Let's go for it,” Aminah explains. 

Business Growth and Revenue Strategies

PaliRoots focuses on nurturing growth through high-quality products offered at an affordable price. They bolster brand engagement by focusing on community building—often in the form of social media activity and consumer surveys. 

They prioritize affordable pricing compared to other slow fashion brands while maintaining high quality. "I’m like how can I make this affordable but still not skip out on the quality," Aminah says. 

Their "Palestinian hospitality policy" emphasizes customer service, responsiveness, and ensuring customer satisfaction. 

“Our customers are the reason we are where we are today. We wouldn't be at this point creating this big of an impact if it wasn't for them.”

PaliRoots’s CX Philosophy

Providing customers with an excellent, stress-free experience at PaliRoots is key. By extending flexibility and understanding to CX, Aminah creates brand loyalty. “[Customers are like] My brother took my jacket and I can't find it. Can you guys give me a discount? We're like, sure,” she says. 

By taking substantial efforts to address customer needs, PaliRoots maintains its reputation as a fashionable brand that is as approachable as it is stylish. 

Innovation and Adaptability

Aminah has worked hard to develop a system that provides organizational efficiency. She did this by creating videos and other content that the company could use to accelerate the hiring process. This included onboarding videos and other templates that could educate new hires on the company’s workflow and other expectations. 

Aminah says this strategy has been very useful. "It's been so helpful that even those templates, those programs, we sell them to other businesses as well," she says.

The goal is always for customers to connect with and share the stories behind the products. The brand has grown and thrived through passion–both on the part of PaliRoots and the people who appreciate the beauty and cultural richness of the clothes they produce. 

Maintaining Roots

PaliRoots is working to build a factory in Palestine to produce their kufiya products and provide consistent employment opportunities: "It's just really difficult getting products there with the blockade, you know, it's just, it's really hard. That's been a dream goal,” explains Aminah. 

Another goal is introducing Palestinian-made goods like herbs, olive oils, and spices to the US market by working directly with local farmers: "You have to try the stuff that comes from the motherland,” she says.