Mariam Musa is the first Black British influencer to launch a solo collection with a top fast-fashion brand, according to Forbes.
Musa is a popular beauty influencer who got her start up about five years ago. She started like most girls, getting her interest in fashion and beauty as a way to just feel good about herself. Eventually, she started posting online, gaining quick traction, and eventually launching her YouTube channel in 2015.
She utilized her day job as an opportunity to take pictures of different outfits in the changing room. Finally, she started giving makeup tutorials and capitalizing on the lack of Black YouTubers in the beauty space at the time.
She landed several brand campaigns, including a stint on the reality TV show “Survival of the Fittest”. With all of the opportunities, Musa hones in on her passion for fashion, transitioning to creating content mainly around styling on a budget. One of the first brands to reach out to her was ISAWITFIRST. The company is a leading fast-fashion brand, and Musa began collaborating with them in 2018. She became an ambassador for their Love Island 2019 promotional campaign.
The British fashion maven is launching a new collection with ISAWITFIRST, featuring 52 pieces that embody Musa’s bold fashion sense.
“Having this collection with ISAWITFIRST has been such an overwhelming but exciting experience for me. It’s been the perfect example that hard work pays off,” Musa said of the new partnership. “As a Black influencer in the fashion and makeup industry, it hasn’t always been easy, but since I began working with ISAWITFIRST, I’ve always felt love. From when I started my styling videos back in 2018, I SAWITFIRST was the first brand to want to work with me for this content and also pay me fairly for it.”
The pieces range in price from €8 – €50($10 – $65), with Musa recruiting several other Black influencers to serve as ambassadors for the collection. Musa said she hopes her story can inspire other Black girls to keep pursuing their dreams.
“This collection is a clear reflection of my character, and it was very important to me to ensure there were different types of girls included in the campaign,” she said. “Representation is really important to me, and I hope that this might be the small boost Black girls in the UK need to keep pushing and know that nothing is too big or too crazy to achieve.”
