A blend of traditional and contemporary henna designs by Makki Mehendi

Saturday, 17 January 2015 04:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

During the past women, especially brides, would apply henna designs on their hands with the help of their friends and family. This is not the case anymore as the tradition has evolved to more of a style statement as latest mehendi designs catches the eye of the users who need a touch from a professional artiste. This is where Makkiya’s creative expression through mehendi comes into play.

For Makkiya, sheer fascination for art drew her to it. “I never studied art when I was schooling nor did I take up any formal workshop or attended seminars but it was a natural talent born inside that began as a hobby at a tender age of 16. I’d say art is my first love. I love drawing. And I enjoy being creative,” she said. Hobby turned business Makkiya discovered that she had a knack for applying mehendi designs while schooling where she started applying mehendi as a hobby for her friends and family. The young artiste now does creative mehendi designs for her love for the art form and she considers this as her full-time business. Makkiya recalled: “I remember when my friends back at school complimented and suggested to pursue this as an on-the-side job, especially around Eid-ul-Fitr and Divali. But I saw myself engaging in mehendi more regularly and with years of hands-on exposure my talent turned out onto becoming a fully-fledged mehendi professional.” She learnt the intricacies of applying mehendi by herself. “Henna applying came naturally as my hands were already set from all the years of drawing. But it did not mean I was perfect when I started. It took years of practice and with help from researching the Internet such as articles, videos, journals and various tutorials. And I did many experiments and trials before I felt confident enough to pursue mehendi professionally,” she said. New designs Though the internet has been a boon for new designs that are ‘self-doable’, what most customers fail to realise is that not all patterns look as good on skin and it requires the attention from a professional. With a spectrum of designs that the customers can choose from, Makki Mehendi’s designs keep changing with time. The once popular big and small dots and swastikas have now faded as demand rises towards lines, swirls and circles that turn into delicate patterns and attractive designs. From simple to a more complex design, from designs inspired by flora to those inspired by packed, intricate patterns, Makkiya takes pride in the henna that she puts on her clients, and she work with excellence and integrity.

“I don’t have a particular style or standard. I try to be different, mixing the traditional with the contemporary. Though my favorite style is traditional Indian, Pakistani and Gulf, all of which are known for being very intricate in the amount of surface area covered almost ‘glove-like’ in its design, I also embellish my designs with colored paints, glitter and stones especially on my brides for that extra special effect. It’s a delicate art-form with much culture attached to it. There is something special in maintaining tradition. It maybe time consuming but I enjoy doing it. It’s my therapy,” she further said. In demand Although business is not brisk all around the year, mehendi artistes are in demand during engagements, weddings and religious festivals. While most of Makkiya’s clients are brides, she also does mehendi at private appointments and parties, birthdays, grad nights, fundraisers, corporate events and so on. Additionally she also has her mehendi course too. “It’s not just the brides, the bridesmaids and the bride’s family and friends get it done too and this has helped me widen the brand and reach many out there’ she said. ‘I am never bored. I get to meet lots of different and interesting people too.” Makkiya runs Makki Mehendi from her home in Mount Lavinia, Colombo. Since its inception in 2008, Makki Mehendi has had growing success, especially with the help of word-of-mouth and social media marketing. She added: “A big thank you also goes out to my mom and friends for the continuous help and trust placed on her along this successful journey.” For appointments and further information please contact Makkiya on 0112731495 or 0771000871, or email via [email protected] and facebook.com/makki.mahendi.