For some time now, the same image has been popping up on various websites and feeds: a model wearing a pair of leather gloves that, at first glance, appear to be simply decorated with a floral pattern. But then, as you look closer, the design reveals something more precise: an intricate pattern that immediately brings to mind henna tattoos, with their sinuous lines, botanical motifs, and that instantly recognizable ornamental complexity. A seemingly simple detail, yet one that makes a powerful impact precisely because of its symbolic force. It is the work of Prakarti A, a fashion design student at Central Saint Martins, and one of the projects that has drawn the most attention to her research.
The “Leather Gloves with Embroidered Henna Tattoo”—as they’re titled online—are, in fact, a particularly successful example of the direction the designer has taken: taking an element deeply rooted in South Asian culture and translating it into a contemporary language, without stripping it of its aesthetic identity but simply changing its medium.
The reference is to mehndi, the traditional body art created with henna. The practice is not exclusively Indian and has a history spanning various regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, but in India it has taken on particular significance, especially in wedding celebrations and other ritual occasions. Hands and feet are decorated with elaborate compositions of flowers, leaves, vines, geometric shapes, and ornamental motifs, using a paste made from the leaves of the henna plant. Once applied, the design gradually develops on the skin and remains visible for a limited time before fading.
It is precisely this ephemeral quality, in my opinion, that makes Prakarti A’s work so interesting: the designs that are normally drawn directly on the skin are transferred to the surface of the skin—this time understood as leather—and transformed into embroidery. The glove thus becomes a sort of second skin; the body is replaced by the accessory, the temporary tattoo by embroidery, and the ritual gesture is transformed into a fashion item. The same approach is also evident in her other projects, including a pair of capri pants featuring a military-inspired pattern, made distinctive by an elaborate decorative detail along the hem. The garment attracted particular attention after being worn by Tyla, helping to bring Prakarti A’s work out of the academic context and into the realm of pop culture. Here, too, contrast is an integral part of the result: on one hand, a military, utilitarian, and functional reference; on the other, an ornamental technique that introduces a delicate, almost couture-like element—similar to lace—though created not by hand but through laser cutting.
The construction of the garment thus becomes a way to create a dialogue between codes that are seemingly distant—in symbolic, material, and aesthetic terms. This is likely what makes the young designer’s work so interesting and fresh: a new perspective on the present, reinterpreting existing codes through a contemporary lens.
[📷 Instagram: prakarti_a]
