Tommiepreneur Alumni Spotlight: Mohamed Malim ’18, Epimonía

As a student at St. Thomas, Mohamed Malim founded Epimonía, a company dedicated to empowering refugees through fashion. Mohamed has always been passionate about making an impact on his community. During his time at St. Thomas, Mohamed was recognized for the Presidents’ Student Leadership Award, which highlights “an individual student that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.”

Epimonía started as a social venture idea to ensure refugees receive the same level of support his family did when they arrived in the United States after fleeing the civil war in Somalia in the 1990’s. With the goal of creating awareness and elevating the global refugee community, Epimonía launched a clothing line that upcycles material from discarded life jackets worn by refugees on the Mediterranean Sea. Mohamed hires refugees to make the clothing and bracelets. This practice not only gives the life jackets a new purpose – but also creates cleaner beaches.

Mohamed also donates a share of Epimonía’s profits to help refugees navigate the education system and citizenship application process. Since 2018, Epimonía has donated over $45,000 directly to refugees and invested over $102,000 in changing the narrative through collaboration and partnership with refugee organizations, sports teams, artists, and more. Visit Epimonía’s website to learn more and join the movement.