In 2003 Asema Ahmed planned a large-scale family event at the Plaza Hotel. She was dissatisfied by the limited selection of available fabrics, so, with the help of her mother, she decided to design all the linens herself and had them custom-made in India. Her gorgeous creations drew an immediate response and Ahmed quickly realized that she had stumbled upon an untapped market. So in late 2003, she partnered with her mother and her sister, Talaiya to launch their own textile business, Magnolias Linens.
On an overcast February morning, I met Ahmed in the Magnolias Linens’ showroom on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The vibrant fabrics filled every corner: saffron yellow, deep burgundy, warm chocolate, dark gold and iridescent pink. With their intricate beading, elaborate embroidery or hand-painted details, the samples bring to mind colorful saris. Ahmed designs the linens and then has them produced and imported from a factory in New Delhi, her parents’ hometown. Outsourcing the production to India and dealing directly with the factories – there is no middle man – keeps costs down. As a result, Ahmed’s company is able to provide high-end linens for upscale events at reasonable price points. Brides-to-be can rent a Swarovski crystal-encrusted table cloth for as little as $25.
Growing up in Scarsdale, NY, as the daughter of two physicians, Ahmed had ambitions of following in her parents’ medical footsteps. She graduated from NYU in 2000 with a religious studies major on the pre-med track. Instead of applying to medical school immediately, she enrolled in Georgetown University where she earned a Master’s degree in International Business Development and began considering an entrepreneurial field instead of medicine. It was her mother who saw the potential of Magnolias Linens. “My mom is the rainmaker,” Ahmed said. “She knew this was something I would grow and prosper in but I would never have gotten it off the ground alone.”
In 2007 she was married in New Delhi. The wedding was featured in InStyle Weddings, and Ahmed designed the tenting for the ceremony and the linens for the reception.
“It was perfect,” she said. “Exactly what I wanted.”
Magnolias Linens has expanded into other events, including bar mitzvahs, birthday parties and home decorating. Ahmed provides all the linens for every Plaza Hotel event, works with the Pierre Hotel and is preparing for her first event with the Four Seasons. Ahmed said that while business was affected by the economic downturn last year, their hotel accounts helped to keep them afloat. She explained that Magnolias was less affected than other wedding businesses because linens are a cost-effective way to decorate an entire venue.
“People are paying more attention to textiles because floral arrangements are so expensive,” Ahmed said. “When you walk into a room and see tables covered in floor-length blue linen that gives a more dramatic look.”
While it requires an incredible amount of motivation and self-discipline to run a company, Ahmed loves being her own boss. She enjoys meeting with new clients everyday and nurturing her creative side.
“I’m so lucky that I get to do this,” she said.
Posts
