S'porean, 24, started henna business at 16, expands customer base to Paris

In the creative realm of body art, what comes to mind?

Tattoos and jagua ink are some, but for the Indian and Malay communities in Singapore, henna holds a special place.

According to the National Heritage Board, henna is especially used during weddings and festive events such as Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa, symbolising good health and prosperity.

Henna is also considered a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage after it was inscribed in 2024 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

With her love for the art form, 24-year-old Azzah Atifah Ramezan started her own independent henna business, Hennaflair, in 2016.

A successful business owner after nine years

And ever since, she has been able to share the art of henna with clients, children and people abroad.

Azzah does henna mainly for bridal events, which involve drawing on the hands, palms and feet, starting from S$140 onwards.

She shares that her projects can take from two to as long as eight hours, depending on the length and level of intricacy the bride decides on.

Besides bridal events, Hennaflair also conducts basic workshops and corporate events.

Almost nine years into her business, Azzah told Mothership that she now earns up to five figures a month from Hennaflair.

The spark of a business idea

So, where did it all begin?

Azzah told Mothership that Hennaflair's origins go back all the way to when she was just a secondary four student.

Her interest began in 2012 when she went to a Ramadan bazaar in Geylang with her cousins and had henna done on her hands.

Not being satisfied with the work, she decided to do the job herself, which then led her to purchase her first-ever henna cone from Joo Chiat Complex.

Henna art then became a hobby for Azzah, but it wasn't until secondary four that she decided to do it professionally.

And so in 2016, when Azzah was 16 years old, Hennaflair was born.

However, being an entrepreneur in the henna industry was not initially on her list of ambitions.

"I was not a risk taker, but I had other traits of an entrepreneur, which are passion and creativity. My family and friends were the ones who motivated me to pursue this business in 2016.

I felt very hesitant due to the lack of confidence and experience, but I soon realised that I would need to step out of my comfort zone if I wanted to be a better henna artist.

I would rather regret trying and failing, than to regret not trying at all."

Laying her stepping stones

Admittedly, Azzah shared that when she first started, she had minimal knowledge of online marketing and publicising her services.

During the Hari Raya period, she marketed her services on Carousell, uploading her best works and pricing her services at S$5 per hand.

She offered home services and practised her craft from door to door without charging any transportation fees.

"At that time, it was not about earning more money, but to gain more exposure and learning how to liaise with clients.

Over time, I was able to understand my clients’ needs better and build my portfolio to showcase my work."

Azzah would then go on to study landscape architecture at the NUS College of Design and Engineering.

Sharing henna art with France

During her university studies, she got accepted into NUS Overseas College's (NOC) Paris programme and did an internship at Kovalee, an app publishing company.

Before heading off on the NOC programme, she knew that she wanted to try pursuing Hennaflair in Paris. This meant that she would have to start from scratch in building her client base.

She began to localise her social media posts, posting them in French, and contacted henna artists based in Paris by sending them her portfolio.

She was then rejected and ignored by about 50 henna artists. In total, the number of rejections she faced at the start was "too many to count", Azzah told Mothership.

Nonetheless, she persevered and eventually landing her first bridal appointment in Paris for a Comorian bride "after two long months."

Recalling the experience to Mothership, she said:

"During the appointment, I was exposed to her culture as they were singing, dancing and performing other cultural activities. It was very refreshing to learn about their practices, appreciate their music, etc. (I saved the songs on my Spotify and listen to them until today)."

At Kovalee, she also had the chance to conduct a henna workshop for her colleagues.

She told Mothership that she'll be headed back to Paris this September for another bridal henna appointment as well as to give a talk at PSL University and host student workshops.

Teaching kids about henna

When asked what some of her most memorable experiences were, she said that it was the henna workshop she conducted with MOE Kindergarten students back in 2022.

She remembered being impressed by the attentiveness of the kids and how they were able to create designs of their own.

"Their happy smiles after the workshop acts as a reminder as to why I continue educating others about henna art."

And their work was indeed very colourful.

To those hoping to start their own business

Running a business is not always smooth sailing.

Azzah told Mothership that every day is a different day, where one day she works for 15 minutes, the next for 14 hours straight.

But she believes that entrepreneurship is all possible with a strong mindset and a clear purpose.

"More often than not, entrepreneurs have to go through different obstacles which may shake their confidence and test their resilience. These moments would affect the entrepreneur’s motivation to grow [their] business."

"However, when you stay rooted in your purpose and maintain a growth mindset, challenges become stepping stones rather than roadblocks."

Continuing her henna journey

So, at the end of the day, what does henna mean to Azzah personally?

Azzah shared that henna gave her the chance to express her creativity, creating intricate designs and getting to blend different styles to make unique, cohesive pieces.

Her workshops have also allowed her to educate others about the history and techniques of henna, which dates back several millennia.

"I am glad that I can use my business as a platform to conduct workshops which educate others about the history of henna, [its] preparation processes and [its] techniques."

Top image courtesy of Azzah Atifah Ramezan and from @itshennaflair on Instagram.