Different countries.
Same obsession.

Henna has given both of us so much. It has given us careers, creativity, opportunities to travel, people to learn from and friendships with people we probably would never have crossed paths with otherwise. And somewhere along our very different journeys, we both started dreaming about the same thing.

A different kind of henna gathering.

For Shaista, it was about learning.

After years of attending and teaching at henna conferences around the world, she wanted somewhere we could slow down. Where learning wasn't just rushing from one class to the next, but actually sitting with artists, asking questions, watching how they work, exchanging techniques and learning from all the incredible knowledge that already exists within our community.

For Sara, it was about belonging.

Because some of her closest connections in henna exist with people scattered across the world. Artists whose work she knows intimately. People she's messaged for years. People she's laughed with, learned from, shared ideas with and genuinely considers friends...

without ever having been in the same room.

And then we realised:

That's us too.

We're Shaista and Sara. Canada and Hong Kong

Henna connected us on Instagram more than ten years ago.

We've watched each other's work evolve. Shared ideas. Talked about henna, business and life. Cheered each other on. And somewhere along the way became genuine friends.

There’s just one slightly ridiculous detail… we’ve never actually met. 😂

Henna Beyond Borders will be the first time. And somehow, that tells you almost everything you need to know about why we're doing this. We wanted to create a place where learning and belonging could happen together. Where the artist you've been quietly stalking on Instagram is suddenly sitting next to you. Where you can learn from incredible teachers — but also from the person across the table. Where someone happily tells you the little trick it took them five years to figure out. Where different styles, cultures and techniques are shared instead of guarded. Where nobody cares how many followers you have. Where conversations continue long after the class has finished. Where we eat together. Laugh together. Swap cones. Share tips. Stay up far too late doing henna. And finally hug some of the people we've known through a screen for years. We wanted learning without gatekeeping. Community without competition. And a place where every henna artist in the room feels like they belong. Because the incredible thing about henna is that it was crossing borders long before we ever decided to. Our techniques travel. Our inspiration travels. Our friendships travel. Our art has connected us across countries, cultures and thousands of miles. Henna Beyond Borders is simply our chance to finally catch up with it. Henna has always crossed borders. Now let's cross them together.