Makers of handmade Kilim "Flying Carpet Shoes" for men and women, kilim handbags, luggage, and other worldly accessories from far-flung locales.
The idea for Artemis Design Co. was born on a trip to Istanbul in 2007. The designer, Milicent Armstrong saw and fell in love with carpet bags, shoes and all of the other accessories that were repurposed from the beautiful flat-woven textile. Several years later, while attending Interior Design school, Armstrong made her way back to Istanbul, found a small artisan workshop willing to work with her, and began production on her first run of products. These first pieces took the concept of repurposing Kilims and altered the designs to suit modern, classic shapes.
The first collection, which was sold out of Armstrong's South End apartment, was an instant hit, and was quickly picked up by renowned retailer Steven Alan. The company has grown since then and has garnered the attention of the WSJ, Town & Country and Esquire magazine to name a few, and also gained a cult following among world renowned interior designers and magazine editors for its unique, one of a kind, but also classic feel. Artemis has created special collections for Steven Alan, Anthropologie, United Arrows of Japan, and Joseph Abboud, amongst others.
Artemis is best known for their magical "Flying Carpet Shoes" -- one of a kind kilim loafers and kilim smoking shoes that are all handmade from genuine Turkish carpets.
Artemis is going into their 6th year in business, and Armstrong travels back to Turkey regularly to oversee production and source heaps of Kilim carpets for future collections.