Bespoke Henna

Bespoke Henna is a London based ethnic décor interior design business which has been trading since 2012. Bespoke Henna was initially a way for the sole proprietor and artist, Farrah Azam, to channel her passion for applying henna onto household ornaments. After receiving encouragement from her close friends and family as well other artists,^[1] Farrah decided to pursue this hobby further in the form of a business where she would apply henna onto various décor including canvases, candles and mirrors and then sell these to customers. She received training from the henna artist Ash Kumar in order to refine her skills. The name "Bespoke Henna" is derived from Farrah’s aim to ensure every piece sold would have its own unique identity by being tailored to the respective customer’s preference to ultimately create the idea of an exclusive product.^[2]

Bespoke Henna initially gained exposure by frequenting events in the local area including the Highgate fair.^[3] Recently, Bespoke Henna gained the attention of the Islam Channel which invited Azam to appear on the daily lifestyle show Living the life.^[4] The business also has a wide social media presence including over 12,000 fans on Facebook.^[5]

Style and influence

Bespoke Henna aims to encapsulate the cosmopolitan nature of henna by merging traditional eastern and contemporary western culture.^[6] Azam has attributed her influence to her cultural upbringing and her travels in a feature in the US-based Hayati magazine: "My travels play a considerable role in the origins of my inspiration for my work. My Islamic heritage is beautifully rich in culture and wide ranging forms of art so finding inspiration isn't too challenging. I can often be inspired by anything from the distinct architecture on a Mosque minaret, to the hand cut tile in a hotel washroom as crazy as that sounds!"^[7]

Amongst some of the noted influences on the artist are Persian, Arab, Mughal Indian, Ottoman, and Turkish Iznik art.^[8]

Azam has recently released an ‘east meets west’ vintage range in order to relate to those who are not familiar with henna by using universally recognisable designs including birds and hearts.^[9]

Product range

Bespoke Henna has worked to diversify its portfolio in order to broaden its mass market appeal. The most popular products in the portfolio are household décor such as canvases, candles, vases and framed mirrors. The portfolio now encompasses a broader range including the adornment of musical instruments such as drums and guitars, including the guitar of Algerian recording artist AbdelKader Saadoun.^[10][11] A seasonal range includes greeting cards, wedding invitations and guest books. Customers have the option to personalise gifts for specific occasions including weddings, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and birthdays. Azam recently released a new Islamic range whereby customers can choose to have any Quranic Ayyat (verse) painted onto canvases. Currently, these are in English only but there are plans to collaborate with calligraphers to incorporate Arabic calligraphy.^[12]

Media exposure and events

Bespoke Henna has held stalls at various London events including the Hamstead Christmas Festival,^[13] the Highgate Fair and the Eid Souk.^[14] The business also has a presence on many major social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Bespoke Henna’s major media event was Azam being invited onto the UK broadcasting channel the Islam Channel’s daily lifestyle show Living the life in January 2013.^[15] She spoke about her influences, how the business came about and her plans for the future. She recalled when she first thought Bespoke Henna could become a reality: "At some point during practice, I remember painting on a piece of paper as I had run out of hands to paint on. Once it had dried, I thought to myself, 'this looks so attractive and very elegant, I have to find a way to somehow seal and preserve this on its surface, perhaps frame it or gift it' and so the research and testing began." This edition of the show also featured former Outlawz rapper Napoleon, who was given a candle as a gift for his wife.^[16]

Bespoke Henna has also been featured in various magazines including Unfolded Magazine, Hayati Magazine and Azizah Magazine,^[17] which is based in Canada; this is part of an effort by Bespoke Henna to build on its initial domestic success and make inroads into international markets.

The artist

Farrah Azam is of Pakistani origin although she was born and raised in London. She studied psychology and criminology at the University of Westminster before discovering her passion for being a henna artist. After receiving her training from Ash Kumar in 2011, she took steps to set up her own business in the form of Bespoke Henna.^[18]

She is a full-time mother and often speaks about the challenges associated with juggling family life with being the sole artist in an expanding business.^[19] Farrah has spoken about her aim of changing peoples’ perception of henna which is derived from her view of there being "a lack of acknowledgement and appreciation for henna" due to its association of being "very much an East African and Asian phenomena."^[20]

The future

Azam has recently started painting on fabric and intends to recreate designs on cushion covers, tote bags and throws. She has spoken about giving consideration to mass market production of some of her existing work onto stationery and to broaden interior design related work. She has also spoken about being keen to collaborate with calligraphists.^[21]

Amongst other aims are to continue expanding Bespoke Henna’s growing social media presence and to capitalise on her domestic success to increase worldwide exposure.^[22]

References