As you stroll down most high-end department stores on a trip abroad, it's not uncommon to find the label marked "100% Egyptian Cotton in the linens section. It is also not uncommon to do a double-take when your eyes catch the shockingly high price tag. "The term Egyptian cotton refers to the extra long staple cotton grown in Egypt and favored for the luxury and up-market brands worldwide, explains Wikipedia. But if Egypt is the place the whole world turns to for quality cotton, then why is it so hard to find high-quality cotton products locally? Aspiring young entrepreneur Aya Akel wanted to redress the imbalance when she founded her company Aya Home Textiles three years ago. The marketing graduate got into advertising after graduation, but seven months later she decided "to do her own thing. She began at her family's textile business, but a year later she decided to branch out. "My father asked me for a feasibility study and to see a branch of textile production I wanted to get into, she recalls. At the time, their company won a contract to design and manufacture promotional items for Dove soap, including towels. "I didn't know anything about towels at the time and we had to put out a huge amount, around 4,000 towels. That was the beginning, Akel recalls, and it was when she started going down to the Delta city of Mahalla, known for its massive towels factories. Bed sheets came a year later. "I wanted to have my own brand of bed sheets, she proposed to her father, who jumped at the idea but advised her to research the market first. "I went everywhere; to all the stores in Cairo and Alexandria and I found that what was available were embroidered or patterned sheets, but when people wanted something like plain or simple striped sheets, they would have to buy it from the US or London, said Akel. "But why should people go off to Harrods or Selfridges to buy Egyptian cotton products? she thought. The bed sheets collection started out in only one style. "I wanted to see how buyers would react to it, she said. At the time, she was only showing her products at open houses where she got the encouragement she was hoping for. "People loved it, it was very high quality and with a high thread count. While in the local market the thread count available is from 200 to 400, my products had around 400 to 1,000, she said. "In addition, the package was exceptionally appealing; a whole set is made up of the duvee cover, flat sheet, fitted sheet and pillow cases. When demand grew for the bed sheets, Akel started designing her own sheets in which she plays with different colors. Now her collection includes 20 styles. Aya Home Textile's bed covers are multi-purpose to be used as either a quilt or simply to be thrown over a couch to brighten up the room. They come in a range of colors and prints. "They look like vintage with a modern twist, she describes. Soon Akel started taking on entire interior design projects, mostly in the North Coast, providing homes with terms of bed sheets and covers, towels and tablecloths. The presentation of the products is extraordinary, even by international standards. Everything is tied with a trademark silver ribbon or packed creatively in a wicker basket, which makes them ideal housewarming gifts for a newly married couple, a bachelor pad, someone going off to live abroad and even to your grandmother. The company's delivery attracted many clients. "We showed our products at open houses, people placed their orders as we customized everything to suit the taste of each client, according to the sizes and colors they wanted, and then we would have it delivered in five days, explained Akel. With her success in combining high quality products, customized to the client's preferences and delivered to your doorstep, last February Akel decided to take it a step further, offering her products "off the rack. She now sells at Loolies Boutique besides her online sales, mainly targeting the international market. Aya Home Textileswww.ayahometextiles.comLoolies Boutique: 37 Ahmed Hishmat St., Zamalek.Eklego: 8 Shiekh El Marasfy Square, Zamalek.
