How I got my job as… the founder of the performance wear brand SQUATWOLF

In May 2016, siblings Wajdan and Anam Khalid took their savings, set up operations in a Dubai apartment and launched SQUATWOLF, a performance-wear brand built for the realities of training in the Middle East. Nearly a decade on, the Dubai-born company has grown from a two-person side project into a globally recognised athleisure name that the founders say is guided by one non-negotiable principle: "performance first, always."

"One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that as a founder, you’re never done telling the story," Wajdan said, underscoring the ongoing effort to reinforce the brand’s purpose and strategy.

The Khalids, originally from Karachi and both graduates of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), brought complementary professional experience to the venture. Wajdan holds an MBA in Marketing and previously served as Head of Marketing at Disrupt.com; Anam earned an MBA in Human Resource Management and worked as an HR specialist at Philip Morris International. They say those early roles "gave us a strong foundation and helped shape how we think about building teams, brands, and businesses today."

How the brand grew

The idea behind SQUATWOLF emerged from a practical pain point: available gymwear in the region was largely produced by international labels not designed for the Middle East’s extreme temperatures. "When you’re working out in 45-degree heat, your needs are very different," Anam said, describing the product-led motivation that drove the business. The founders set out to create "products specifically for people who live, train and perform in this environment."

Operationally, the pair divide responsibilities along functional lines. Anam leads Product, Brand, Supply Chain and People & Culture while contributing to long-term strategy. Wajdan focuses on commercial growth across e‑commerce, retail and wholesale, as well as finance and operations. Together they emphasize daily routines that protect focused morning work and reserve afternoons for collaborative meetings with teams, partners, suppliers and investors.

• Launch: May 2016 from a Dubai apartment
• Founders: Wajdan and Anam Khalid (siblings from Karachi)
• Education: Both earned MBAs from SZABIST (Wajdan in Marketing; Anam in HRM)
• Early careers: Disrupt.com (Wajdan); Philip Morris International (Anam)
• Brand pillars: Progress, Performance and The Pack (community)

Product focus and community

Performance is the stated foundation of every product. "Every product starts with one question: will this genuinely help someone train better?" Anam said. The brand places heavy emphasis on community — "The Pack" — arguing that fitness is stronger when shared, and that repetition in messaging builds alignment and culture.

The founders point to flagship pieces such as the Mirage Shorts as emblematic of the SQUATWOLF approach: lightweight, comfortable and functional for real training conditions. Built in Dubai with a global mindset, the company aims to prove that "innovation, quality and ambition aren’t limited to traditional fashion capitals," Wajdan added.

Outlook

Looking ahead, the Khalids say their focus remains on iterative improvement across product, customer experience and community engagement. For aspiring founders they offer practical counsel: "Repetition creates alignment. It strengthens culture. It helps people stay focused on a shared goal," Anam said — a reminder that scaling a lifestyle brand requires both consistent storytelling and relentless attention to performance.