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It's Marie Claire with an eastern twist. EMILY SHEFFIELD reports on a new glossy for the British Asian woman

SAMINA Saeed is exhausted. She's just spent all night with her husband watching their new business venture go to the printers.

On Monday, Asian Woman & Bride, the first glossy magazine aimed solely at British Asian women, goes on sale. It's Marie Claire with an eastern twist; 292 pages devoted to Asian fashion, beauty, health and careers. Flick through the first issue and you'll find features on Bollywood sex symbols, Britain's eligible Asian bachelors and an article on Bangladeshi women born into the sex trade.

"Fifteen years ago, this magazine wouldn't have been possible," says the editor and founder from her sparse whitewashed offices in Bow.

Saeed is still sleepy from last night and nervous about being interviewed.

"Asian women weren't as independent then. When I was 18, my parents didn't allow me to go to university - now all Asian women get a degree. They are more career-minded than the men. They have money to spend on clothes, makeup and going out. A few families are still very strict but most Asian girls take their independence for granted - this magazine will reflect that."

Saeed is not new to fashion journalism, having worked as a stylist on the Asian newspaper Eastern Eye for the past five years. She's not new to business either: her husband, Sawar Ahmed, launched Eastern Eye 10 years ago from his Bethnal Green bedroom when he was just 18. Within a year, it was selling 30,000 copies a week nationwide. He went on to build his own highly successful publishing empire. Now he's backing his wife's venture.

But even Ahmed is surprised at the ease with which they've managed to raise the advertising revenue for Asian Woman. He put up the initial capital of 100,000, although advertising interest has been so great that the magazine has been launched purely on its own cash flow.

"We raised 80,000 within a matter of weeks," he says. "Our sales target was 40,000 but we've doubled it before bringing out our first issue.

We had to add an extra 100 pages to cope with demand. Next issue we'll aim for 150,000."

He hopes to shift 50,000 copies per issue. To begin with, it will be quarterly but Saeed hopes to shift up a gear very soon and reckons the title will go monthly by the end of the year. At this, her husband, ever the businessman, just smiles: "It depends on the figures." Aimed at women aged between 17 and 35, Asian Woman was first conceived as a style and fashion magazine.

"The Asian fashion industry has exploded in the past six or so years, even into the mainstream," explains Saeed, 33. "Look at Cherie Blair, Ffion Hague and Jemima Khan. Young Asian girls wear clothes from the high street, but they also want more traditional outfits such as the shalwar kameez and lengha suit. Elle and Vogue don't cater for that. They also don't use many Asian models or feature makeup suited to our skin-tone.

That's where Asian Woman will come in."

The 100-page section dedicated to Asian brides at the back of the magazine is the only departure from other women's titles. "The Asian wedding market is huge," explains Ahmed. "Marriage may be out of fashion in the rest of society but not within the Asian community. People will spend their life-savings on a wedding.

"Even those living in a council flat will raise 30,000. It's usually a minimum of 500 guests; my brother had 2,000. The bridal element of the magazine will bring in the advertising; the editorial will bring in the readers."

Saeed was spurred into bringing out the magazine after becoming convinced that Asian women needed to read more positive articles on their community.

"Most of our readers will already buy one mainstream magazine, such as Elle, Vogue or Marie Claire. And although they do run articles on Asian women, it is from the outside looking in. In the past, a lot of press about Asian women in Britain has been negative. That's why in the first issue we are running a feature on 'Why we love arranged marriages'. Many of my friends have arranged marriages and they wouldn't have wanted it any other way."