She used to be an accountant. Now she is The Row’s most devoted collector

“The first time I saw the Salpa Margaux, I knew it was mine,” says Neelam Ahooja, the Toronto-based stylist and influencer. The Row’s topstitched, deconstructed handbag, with its fraying threads and exposed seams, mirrors something deeply personal: a life that’s polished, yes, but also deeply textured.

Ahooja, now 54 and a well-respected voice in the niche world of luxury minimalism, didn’t start out in fashion. In fact, she was once a chartered accountant. But today, she’s better known as a collector, curator, and community-builder—someone whose reverence for The Row borders on the devotional.

After leaving finance to raise her children over two decades ago, she found herself returning to style through an unexpected medium: Instagram. In late 2020, she began documenting her collection of The Row, sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s label she had admired since its launch in 2006. What started as a personal archive quickly grew into a following—and a second act that involves documenting the Olsen twins’ elusive label across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack. “When I surfaced online, no one was covering The Row at the level of detail I was, and I received a warm welcome,” she recalls.

The Toronto native doesn’t just buy clothes—she studies them, lives in them, and, perhaps most importantly, curates them. Her wardrobe isn’t just a closet but a living archive of the label’s evolution. “It’s not the collecting that brings me joy,” she explains, “It’s the art of creating an outfit and the state of presence I’m in as it’s coming together.”

Her passion for the label began with something deceptively simple and appropriately understated—a jersey T-shirt. “It was the foundational piece they were intent on perfecting,” she says. “I followed the line closely, and initially I didn’t have the budget for what I wanted. Once I could finally ‘invest’, I indulged—and then indulged some more.”

Today, she approaches each season with intention, even if she’s not always restrained when she shops online. “I used to budget, but I haven’t been as disciplined lately,” she admits. “However, I’ve learned to identify which items are worth the full price and which ones I can wait to find pre-owned or on sale, and that’s helped me manage my spending better.”

What sets The Row apart, in her view, is its unique duality. “It’s relaxed yet luxurious, and unlike other minimal-luxury houses, it incorporates an edgy element, especially in the styling.”

When asked to single out a favourite item, her answer comes quickly: “My Salpa Margaux from the winter 2023 collection. It was love at first sight and [it’s] even better in person. It’s raw, with threads hanging from the handles, and a fabric lining peeking out from the edges—a real work-in-process piece with an intentionally unfinished look—and it matches my features and personality perfectly.”

Ahooja’s taste and perspective have earned her a quietly powerful following—people like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sonam Kapoor Ahooja, Peter Do, and a throng of other designers and editors. But she doesn’t get easily starstruck, even when I ask her about meeting the Olsen sisters in person (which she has). “I visited their New York City boutique in the fall of 2021 and had a conversation with Ashley Olsen, who happened to be in the shop. After I left, my rep called and said, ‘Ashley would like to invite you to the runway show in Paris in March.’ The show was surreal and exactly as I’d hoped it would be—intimate, stylish, unique.”

What began as a personal passion has become a powerful digital platform. “I feel I’ve finally found a community to share my passion with, especially on Substack. They’re a great bunch. I love helping others secure covetable items on their wishlist, and their excitement makes me smile.”

But even slow fashion (and building a sense of connection across four platforms) isn’t exactly a slow lifestyle. “It’s a young person’s game,” she says. Between parenting, caring for ageing parents, managing health issues, and other commitments, the sheer pace of content creation feels increasingly untenable. “I’m exhausted and I need to slow down. But there doesn’t seem to be middle ground when it comes to content creation,” she admits. “I’ve tried detoxing, but as soon as I decide to take a break, an offer pops up that pulls me back in. I’m sure the universe will send me stronger signals when my time is up,” she adds, laughing.

At home, her devotion to dressing well has rubbed off. Offline, she’s a mom of two, and both her kids are regular visitors to her closet. However, her daughter, who’s begun to eye The Row pieces, is mostly limited to borrowing Ahooja’s tops and coats. “We’re not the same shoe size, so I only have to share the clothes,” she explains.

As for the rest of her family? They’ve accepted her passion, frayed threads and all. “My husband (a budding Buddhist) and my kids think I should probably be committed,” she jokes. “But truly, they’re very supportive of my work.”

While Ahooja does sell her pieces from time to time in her Substack, she isn’t averse to the idea of an in-person closet sale: “That’s a great idea—just before I retire from the online game!”

Whether or not that time comes soon (keeping my eyes peeled and Canadian visa handy), she has already built a quiet legacy: a life styled in exacting detail, in full awareness, with a deep and contagious joy. “Fashion is my passion and having an outlet saved my soul,” she says. And in that, she’s given others the same gift.