Meet Kamilah Ahmed, the textile artist whose intricately layered tapestries celebrates our interconnectedness

The British-Bangladeshi artist’s latest work invites us to rediscover one of London's most beautiful rooms, the Arab Hall at Leighton House 2026 has been a stellar year for the London-based embroidery artist and designer Kamilah Ahmed. After having worked with brands such as Dior, Valentino and McQueen, she stepped into the spotlight at the Collect fair in February with ‘The Life Above’, a swirling tapestry that reimagined heritage Bangladeshi craft techniques such as Jamdani weave and Ari hook embroidery. ‘It was approximately the same length as a Bangla sari where you would most likely encounter these skills,’ she says of the blue fringed silk hanging that also earned her a spot amongst the inaugural House & Craft Prize finalists. ‘I grew up surrounded by textiles that my aunts would bring back from Dhaka and being able to showcase craft from the city has been a driving force in my work.’