Kamilah Ahmed

Embroiderer

©Clara Setian

Exploring heritage through textile

Kamilah is a London-based multidisciplinary embroiderer and designer
She graduated in 2016 from the Royal College of Art and opened her studio in 2021
She specialises in creating embroidered pieces for contemporary interiors

The bespoke embroidery of Kamilah Ahmed is defined by a fusion of her cultural influences and her use of a variety of textile-working techniques. She creates objects using threadwork, beading, appliqué, cutwork, and experimental fabric manipulations. "My embroidery practice is centered around hand-making, people, and collaboration," explains Kamilah. She worked extensively as a commercial textile designer for luxury couture houses such as Dior, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana. She founded her creative embroidery studio in 2021 at Cockpit Arts in London, after winning inaugural The New Craftsmen award. Inspired by the Bangladeshi art of Jamdani weaving, Kamilah juxtaposes contemporary techniques with handmade methods to explore the boundaries between hybridity and heritage. Kamilah's works incorporate traditional embroidery techniques such as Ari hook use.

Interview

©Simon Williams

In what way is your craft linked to the territory?: Echoing how Bangladeshi Jamdani weavers have meticulously combined weave and embroidery on the loom for generations, I use both hand and digital techniques to reimagine this traditional art form. I create a visual dialogue between the past and the present and celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of this technique.
Why did you choose this craft?: I grew up surrounded by a mix of cultural influences as my family home was filled with textiles from Bangladesh and painted Portuguese ceramics from my mother’s side. I used to draw non-stop, pulling on what was around me for inspiration. Textiles felt like a natural extension of this visual language – something tactile, expressive, and rooted in storytelling.
Is there something about your work that people are surprised to hear?: My silk tapestries and framed leather wall pieces are made with hand-wrapped silks as opposed to traditionally woven methods using a loom. I use a process of hand-wrapping silk and cotton yarns to create a warp base which I then embroider onto. This method allows me to blur the lines between embroidery and weaving, giving the work an architectural quality.
What are your sources of inspiration?: I draw inspiration from landscapes and textile legacies showcasing textile traditions in contemporary and unexpected contexts. I am particularly drawn to the art of Jamdani muslin sari weaving and its revival, as it represents both resilience and reinvention within heritage craft. My travels to London, Italy and India have also deeply shaped how I approach materials and making.

Kamilah Ahmed is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2022