ABOUT

I am a British-Egyptian textile designer and maker based at Cockpit Arts, specialising in contemporary embroidery. I established my business in 2018 after winning the Radcliffe Craft Development Award, which enabled me to purchase my freehand embroidery machine and develop my practice.

My work combines hand and machine embroidery, approaching stitch as a form of drawing and painting, with fabric as my canvas. My practice is deeply influenced by my Egyptian heritage and the environments, colours, landscapes and craftsmanship I experienced growing up and visiting my family in Egypt every summer. Fayoum, an oasis outside Cairo known for its landscape, pottery and artisan communities, has been a particular source of inspiration.

I studied textiles at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including an MA in Mixed-Media Textiles at the Royal College of Art. I combine traditional and contemporary embroidery techniques with experimentation in colour, material and process, often drawing on Middle Eastern craftsmanship and reinterpreting it in a contemporary way.

Alongside my studio practice, I work on the Embroidery course at London College of Fashion and teach as a Visiting Practitioner at Loughborough University and Manchester Metropolitan University. I have also delivered workshops with Selvedge as part of London Textile Month.

With over a decade of experience in the industry, my work has been exhibited and featured across a range of exhibitions, publications and design platforms. See below for a full list of exhibitions and other professional experience.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability and responsible making are central to my practice and the way I run my business. After years of working within the high-end fashion industry, I became increasingly aware of the environmental, economic and ethical issues within a fast-paced industry. This encouraged me to develop a slower, more considered approach to making.

My business operates on a made-to-order model, reducing unnecessary production, waste and the risk of overstocking. I also actively incorporate existing and discarded textiles into my work, using off-cuts, deadstock and faulty garments wherever possible and transforming them through embroidery rather than allowing them to go to waste.

I have collaborated with TOAST on projects that transformed faulty and deadstock garments through decorative embroidery, as well as creating an embroidered patchwork textile from TOAST off-cuts to reupholster a mid-century chair with Vinterior. I have also created commissioned work for the Japanese Embassy and Loughborough University using traditional Japanese Boro and Sashiko techniques, which focus on repairing, strengthening and extending the life of textiles. See below for images of my commissions.

My approach to sustainability is not limited to materials. I believe in slowing down the process of making, valuing craftsmanship and creating pieces intended to be appreciated and kept. I use traditional techniques in experimental ways, allowing stitch to become a tool for drawing, painting and transforming existing materials.

I also believe transparency is an important part of responsible making. I share the development and processes behind my work with customers, offering insight into how pieces are made and encouraging a greater appreciation of the time, skill and materials involved.

Education

Royal College of Art, Distinction: Dissertation, Postgraduate, Textiles, 2017

Loughborough University, First Class, BA (Hons), Textiles, 2015 

Central Saint Martins, Merit, Foundation, Textiles, 2011

Experience

Visiting Tutor, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2025-Present

Embroidery Teaching and Learning Technician, London College of Fashion, 2019-Present

New Designers 2022 Mentor, London, 2022-2023

Visiting Tutor, Loughborough University, 2018-Present

Freelance Embroidery Designer, London, 2017-Present

Freelance Embroidery Assistant, Alexander McQueen, London, 2017-Present

Freelance Embroidery Designer, Bombay Sapphire Gin, London, 2016

Styling Assistant, Mary-Anna Kearney, London, 2016  

Intern, Julien Macdonald, London, 2016

Paid Intern, Alexander McQueen, London, 2016

Freelance Print Designer, Label Lab, House of Fraser, London, 2015

Paid Intern, Diane Von Furstenberg, New York, 2014

Intern, Bay & Brown, London, 2014.

Intern, Tom Cody, London, 2013

Intern, Gather No Moss, London, 2012

Exhibitions

The Twighlight Gallery, London, 2026

The Curious Mind: TOAST, London, 2025

London Craft Week, Cockpit Arts, 2025

The Japanese Embassy, London, 2025

Bound, The Department Store, London, 2025

London Craft Week, Buckle Street Studios, by Locke Hotels, 2023

Two More Years, London, 2022

Clerkenwell Design Week, London, 2022

London Craft Week, London, 2022

Top Drawer, London, 2022

Top Drawer, On Demand, 2021

Most Curious Wedding Fair, Truman Brewery, London, 2020

Open Studios, Cockpit Arts, London, 2018-Present

Jupiter Asset Management, Zig Zag Building, London, 2016

The Knitting and Stitching show, Harrogate International Centre, Harrogate, 2015

The Knitting and Stitching show, Alexandra Palace, London, 2015

New Designers, Business Design Centre, London, 2015

Awards

Arts Council England, 2020

Cockpit Arts, Radcliffe Craft Development Award 2018

The Eaton Fund, 2017

Worshipful Company of Needlemakers, 2017

Innovation RCA, 2017

Shortlisted for New Designer of the Year, 2015

Edward Sharp Award, 2015

Directories & Features

Love Embroidery Magazine, 2023

Locke Living, Cockpit, 2023

London Craft Week, 2022

Dancing with Her, 2021

The Times & Times Property, 2021

Town & Country, 2020

Selvedge Magazine, 2020

Craft Council, 2020

Most Curious, 2020

Boho Wedding, 2019

The Wedding Collective, 2019