From Interiors to Kimonos: Artemis Muse x Sarah Ahmad x Jane Willoughby

At Artemis Muse, we have always believed that the most beautiful prints and embroideries deserve to live beyond the walls of our homes.

Our latest artist collaboration brings together the worlds of fashion, art and interiors, transforming two distinctive designs by interior designers Sarah Ahmad and Jane Willoughby into statement kimonos designed to be worn, loved and kept.

There is a lovely connection at the heart of the collaboration. Both Sarah and Jane come from the world of interiors, as does Melanie, one of the co-founders of Artemis Muse. While their individual aesthetics are very different, all three share an instinctive appreciation for colour, pattern and the ability of decorative design to completely change the mood of a space—or an outfit.

Sarah Ahmad: The Gold Snake

For our collaboration with Sarah Ahmad, we were immediately drawn to one particularly captivating motif: her gold snake.

Snakes have appeared in art and decorative design for centuries, carrying associations of transformation, renewal and strength. Sarah's interpretation felt particularly suited to Artemis Muse: beautiful, slightly mysterious and impossible to ignore.

We took the original artwork and reimagined it through embroidery, allowing the snake to wind its way across the kimono in shimmering gold thread.

The result sits somewhere between clothing and decorative art. From a distance, the embroidery catches the light; up close, the detail of the snake becomes the focus. It is the kind of piece that can transform something as simple as jeans and a camisole, yet feels equally at home worn as an evening layer.

Originally from the UK, Rachel Ahmad spent her childhood moving around the Pacific with her family, living in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. She is now based in South London where she has been making work from her studio in Lewisham for the last three years.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration from Auckland University of Technology and has been painting, making and illustrating for over twenty years. Her childhood experiences and mixed cultural background have shaped a lifelong curiosity about the natural world, heritage craft and mythology.

These themes and influences often appear in her work through animal forms and botanical imagery, symbolism, pattern and gold leaf details.

Jane Willoughby: Red-Crowned Chinoiserie Cranes

Our collaboration with Jane Willoughby began with an entirely different world.

Jane's red-crowned Chinoiserie cranes bring together elegant birds, decorative botanical elements and the romanticism of traditional Chinoiserie-inspired interiors.

The crane itself is an extraordinarily beautiful subject. With its long silhouette and flashes of red, it lends itself perfectly to the flowing proportions of a kimono. Rather than containing the artwork within a conventional repeat, the kimono gives the cranes space to become part of the garment's movement.

As the fabric moves, so does the artwork.

The result is a kimono that feels dramatic without being overpowering, an unusual print that can be thrown over simple clothing and immediately become the centre of an outfit.

Jane first qualified as an Interior Designer, followed by an honours degree in Art History. She then went on to specialise as a decorative painter. Working for many years in this area she designed and implemented large-scale mural and painted schemes in Dublin town houses, Country Clubs such as The K Club and Mount Juliet, as well as Private Homes in Ireland and Europe.

When Interior Design Becomes Wearable

Perhaps it isn't surprising that interior designers and kimono design work so beautifully together.

In interiors, pattern has to be considered at scale. A motif needs to work from across a room while still revealing something interesting when you get closer. Colour has to create atmosphere. Decorative details need to feel considered rather than simply added.

We think about our kimonos in much the same way.

A kimono provides an unusually generous canvas for design. Unlike many garments, it doesn't need to break an artwork into lots of small pattern pieces. The back, sleeves and long front panels give prints and embroideries room to breathe.

It means an image originally imagined for an interior can take on an entirely new character when placed on the body.

And there is something rather wonderful about that idea: taking art out of the room and into the world.

A Shared Love of Decoration

Artemis Muse was created for women who aren't afraid of beautiful things.

We love unexpected colour combinations, intricate embroidery, extraordinary prints and clothes that don't disappear into the background.

Working with Sarah Ahmad and Jane Willoughby felt like a natural extension of that philosophy. Their designs may have their roots in interiors, but translated into kimonos they become something completely different, pieces of decorative art that move with the woman wearing them.

From Sarah's golden snake to Jane's elegant red-crowned cranes, these are designs intended to be noticed.

Because sometimes the most beautiful artwork doesn't belong on the wall. It belongs on you.

Find out more about the artists at:

https://www.janewilloughby.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/rachelahmad.artist/