Est. 2017 in South East London with a notebook, stolen posca pens and an iPad, 21karat london is where self-taught artist Ameba combines her love of graffiti, the female form, and clothing design, creating sustainable and inclusive clothing for all. A Poetry graduate, Ameba has expanded on the term ‘writer’, moving away from literature and towards the use of letter forms to portray pseudonyms and themes in variable ways. Breaking into the male-dominated subculture of graffiti, she has established herself over the past decade and now runs 21karat London as one-woman operation. Supporting a variety of social justice causes, she works to empower women, young people, and underrepresented groups through creativity and workshops.

“The characters in my artwork represent different facets of myself, from a cleopatra-esque goddess in paradise to a hooded silhouette in a dark city alleyway, I’ve found a way to explore my traumas and experiences in a form other than poetry and in a way which, when drawn or illustrated, is open to even further interpretation.”

Ameba’s designs take inspiration from the Madhubani art movement, which originated in 7th Century BCE India. The Madhubani movement was the first feminist art movement in history and provided women with little to no education with the opportunity to generate their own income, using dyes made of natural materials to depict scenes of flora and femininity. Looking at more modern art, Chila Kumari Burman, Karimah Hassan, Jenny Holzer and Lady Pink have also been huge inspirations to Ameba. The influence of Mark Bode’s eroticised feminine graffiti characters and Japanese comic art are also evident in her creative thinking.

The 21karat philosophy is a celebration of individuality and self-expression. Everything we do and produce is a dedication to creativity and empowerment. We embrace eco-friendly practices throughout the production process; printing locally to you and shipping worldwide allows us to support local economies small businesses whilst minimising waste and our carbon footprint.

We only use high quality, FSC certified paper from sustainable forests for our prints, furthering our commitment to sustainability without compromising on quality. We’re a fully inclusive brand and stock unisex sizes XS-3XL, Empowering all wearers to embrace their unique identities and express themselves boldly and confidently.

Read more about us and our practices here - https://www.21karat.co.uk/about