Erem announced it had hired Jax Mariash Mustafa as vice president of marketing. 

Co-founded and led by a fourth-generation bootmaker from the family that started Timberland, the outdoor brand designs products for desert performance.  The company recently introduced its Biocircular men’s and women’s hiking boots using materials and construction with 100 percent paths back to nature. Mustafa joined the company the same week the products were released. 

“Jax is a proven business leader and one of the all-time greatest desert athletes,” said co-founder and CEO Noah Swartz. “Her addition to the Erem team is an important step towards our goal of delivering truly world-class, outdoor performance gear for the desert while also raising the sustainability bar. She has the marketing experience to increase awareness both for our brand and our mission.”

Mustafa brings more than 16 years of experience in marketing, branding and communications. Over her career, she has taken new business opportunities to market, defined and implemented strategic plans and established long-term customer relationships. 

She began her career in grassroots marketing, retail marketing, store design, and merchandising at lucy and Crocs, then led the brand overhaul during her three years at Native Eyewear as marketing director. She worked for Powderbird Helicopter Skiing as part of the launch of her boutique marketing agency Mariash Marketing. She founded Stoked Roasters, a craft coffee roasting company in Hood River, OR, focused on the outdoor enthusiast while leading her marketing agency. After five years, she sold Stoked Roasters. She took a work sabbatical and joined Erem in November 2021.  

Mustafa is a professional ultra runner known as the “Queen of the Desert.” She is a top-ranked and the most decorated female in self-supported stage racing worldwide.

“I am honored to launch back into my career with Erem. The brand resonates deep in my core and mirrors my passion for the desert,” said Mustafa. “I am thrilled to utilize my marketing and branding expertise to establish Erem as the official go-to brand for desert adventurers. About 30 percent of the globe is covered in desert terrain. I look forward to helping the brand expand to offer products to equip desert explorers from head to toe. Our products will allow the adventurers to enjoy their time in the desert with ease, durability and comfort, all while knowing they are supporting a brand that has climate change and sustainability in mind with every product made.” 

She added, “Erem joins the outdoor industry with an extensive legacy in the footwear segment and a team full of desert enthusiasts. I’m proud to be a part of a company that is shaking up the industry by putting sustainability at the forefront from day one.”

Photo courtesy Erem