When Emily Morgulis began building a presence online as a fitness content creator, she thought her future lay in influencing. She wanted to share her fitness journey, inspire others to work toward their goals and help people feel more confident in their bodies.
But as her audience grew, Morgulis began to realize she could take that mission further.
Rather than simply encouraging people to feel good about themselves, she wanted to create something they could wear that would help them do just that.
That idea became Swazona, a Halifax-based activewear brand that combines gym apparel with elements of streetwear and luxury fashion. Inspired by her grandmother’s love of swans, Morgulis is building a business on her terms.
“I want to create something that represents confidence, strength, elegance and ambition,” Morgulis says. “A brand that reminds people that they can be both powerful and graceful while staying true to who they are.”
For Morgulis, the brand represents more than a change in career. It is an opportunity to turn a personal ambition into a business while creating a positive space for people who want to feel good about themselves.
Her journey comes at a time when women-owned businesses are an increasingly significant part of Canada’s economy. Statistics Canada reported that businesses at least 51 per cent owned by women accounted for 20.6 per cent of private-sector businesses in the first quarter of 2026.
Although women-owned businesses span a wide range of industries, Morgulis is entering a fitness apparel market. “I wanted people to just feel confident and happy about themselves and never be negative,” she says. “I wanted people to just be happy, not really care so much about how they look, but work and feel confident in their skin.”
That philosophy eventually led her from creating fitness content to designing clothing of her own.
Morgulis’ path to entrepreneurship began long before Swazona took shape.
Born in Israel, she moved to Russia and then eventually moved to Canada 14 years ago.
“We had to make the move because of the dangers associated with the war.”
Her family initially settled in Toronto before moving to Halifax, where she grew up.
Russian was the language she spoke with her parents, and learning English presented an early challenge as she adjusted to life in Canada.
“I would constantly speak Russian with my parents growing up, and then I had to learn English, so it wasn’t easy,” she says.
Today, she speaks both languages fluently, although she says she sometimes finds herself mixing words between them.
Building her brand
Her experience of adapting to a new country and language forms part of the personal journey behind the entrepreneur she is becoming. Building a business has meant learning new skills, navigating unfamiliar processes and being willing to make mistakes along the way.
The idea for Swazona, however, had been with her for years.
Morgulis says she had wanted to start something of her own before the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not initially take the steps needed to make it happen.
To Morgulis, swans represent beauty, loyalty, elegance and strength. She wanted those qualities to be reflected in the brand and in how customers feel wearing its clothing.
The name combines “Swa,” inspired by swans, with “Zona,” inspired by being in the zone.
“It’s about locking in, chasing your goals, believing in yourself and becoming the best version of yourself,” she says.
Looking back, she says the early stages involved mistakes, including working with a manufacturer whose initial products did not meet her expectations. She had to return items, rethink parts of the business and learn how to make better decisions.
Credit: Submitted
Those setbacks, she says, helped her understand the work involved in turning an idea into a viable brand.
Before launching her own clothing line, Morgulis focused on building an online audience through fitness content.
She wanted to document her progress, work toward her own physique goals and encourage others to pursue their ambitions.
Over time, however, her focus shifted from the appearance of fitness to how people feel about themselves.
She began thinking about how social media can influence body image and how clothing can affect someone’s confidence, particularly in a gym environment.
That realization became a key reason for starting Swazona.
“I kind of want to make my own clothing brand,” she says. “So then I could also help others feel confident.”
Rather than suggesting there is one ideal body type or appearance, Morgulis wants customers to feel comfortable in their own skin.
She believes finding clothing that fits well, feels good and reflects a person’s style can make the experience of going to the gym more enjoyable.
Early feedback from friends who tried the clothing has encouraged her. Morgulis initially offered pieces to friends for free so they could test the products, but some insisted on paying for them, even if she offered a discount.
She used the opportunity to collect feedback about fit, construction and durability before making the apparel available to a wider audience.
Although Swazona’s clothing is manufactured outside Canada, Morgulis is working to keep its creative development rooted in Halifax.
The brand’s early visual identity has been shaped with the help of local photographers and models, many of whom are friends who have supported her as she builds the business.
Promotion
Among them is Halifax-based photographer Will Abbass, who helped guide the models during a recent photo shoot and worked with Morgulis to capture images for the brand’s website.
Morgulis says working with Abbas made the process easier, particularly because she was navigating the demands of a professional photo shoot for the first time as a business owner.
“He was truly there and really helped me with everything,” she says.
Local model and modeling agency owner Jaycie Cruz, who runs a local boutique modeling agency MUG, was also among the people Morgulis identified as part of Halifax’s creative community supporting the project.
Morgulis says the models she works with are largely friends, or represented by MUG, making the process more collaborative and allowing her to build the brand alongside people she already knows and trusts.
She added that her brother is also one of the models, adding a family element to the project.
For Morgulis, keeping the creative work local is both practical and meaningful. Working with people nearby makes communication easier and allows her to build relationships with other emerging professionals in Halifax.
Swazona’s soft launch is planned for Nov 1, with a hard launch scheduled for Nov 18. The website is expected to become the main place for customers to explore and purchase the collection.
For Morgulis, becoming a business owner has meant moving from building an audience to asking that audience to support something she has created herself.
She sees her experience as a fitness content creator as an advantage, giving her a foundation from which to introduce the brand and communicate directly with potential customers.
But she also recognizes that having an idea and making it happen are two different things.
She says she regrets not starting sooner, but hopes her experience encourages others who have been holding back on their own ideas.
“It’s just …about starting,” she says. “That’s the hardest part: just starting it.”
Her approach also reflects a broader trend in Canadian entrepreneurship. According to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, the share of small and medium-sized businesses majority-owned by women grew from 15.6 per cent in 2017 to 17.8 per cent in 2023.
The same research found that majority women-owned small and medium-sized businesses generate more than $90 billion in annual revenue and employ close to one million people across Canada. These figures span industries and are not specific to fitness or apparel, but they demonstrate the economic contribution women entrepreneurs make.
Morgulis is at the beginning of that journey, building her business one collection, supplier and creative collaboration at a time.
