Inking big: fastest henna artist in the world aims to make it mainstream
A HENNA artist to the stars says she is determined to make the body art more accessible so it can be enjoyed by Londoners of “all ages and nationalities”.
Pavan Ahluwalia, 30, from Ilford, counts Ellie Goulding, Alesha Dixon and The Sugababes among her famous fans, and has created henna tattoo designs for Indian weddings featured on EastEnders.
She started her company Pavan in 2000, mainly working with Indian brides for weddings.
After completing a degree in marketing at the University of Westminster, she spotted a gap in the market and realised she could sell henna to a less traditional clientele.
In 2013, she approached Topshop, which offered her a six-week pop-up in their flagship Oxford Street store. In 2014 Selfridges offered her a pop-up in their beauty section and Ms Ahluwalia has been based there for almost a year, making it one of the longest standing pop-ups at the Oxford Street shop.
Ms Ahluwalia also holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest henna tattoo artist — she completed 512 arm bands in an hour in 2012.
She told the Standard she wanted to show Londoners that henna could be “trendy and everyday”.
She added: “I was commonly getting told by Western clientele that they didn’t know where to get henna done, and that’s what led me to the idea of making henna accessible to everyone. That’s what I believe I’m doing.
“I’m offering it in a different way, in a department store, so everyone has got access to it.
“People associate me with a more contemporary look. A look that is trendy and everyday. The idea is for people to see henna in a similar way to having their nails done.”
Ms Ahluwalia plans to expand her business on an international scale, and said she is in talks with stores in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
Elizabeth Selvey, beauty buying manager at Selfridges, said: “We brought Pavan into the Beauty Workshop last year as we are always wanting to surprise and amuse our customers with new, exciting and interesting brands and services.
“Pavan has been a huge success, the beautiful intricate henna designs and temporary tattoos are enjoyed by all customers of all ages and nationalities. This traditional adornment is becoming more popular and we are so pleased Pavan is part of the Selfridges beauty offering.”