Tattoo Life July/August 2025

Cover girl: Nahal Azadi Adornments

The cover of this issue of Tattoo Life features Nahal, a lovely Persian girl, with a collection of ornamental Tribal tattoos which tells her history. First and foremost however, Nahal is a jewelry designer, a creative who has turned her passion into a business with the creation of the brand Azadi Adornments.

Chat at the top with Stizzo

Class of 1980, founder of Best of Times Tattoo in Milan, Stizzo is one of those names that need no introduction on the European Traditional tattoo scene. We hooked up with him on the occasion of the publication of his first book with Tattoo Life, “Time we’ll remember” a volume which is far more than just a collection of flash: it represents a visual journey within his aesthetics and research intimately tied to the material and craft of drawing, from paper to tattoo.

Surrealism faces of Anthony Lennox

English, happily part of the team at the Artium Ink tattoo shop in Exeter, Anthony Lennox has gained attention for his tattoos featuring women’s faces—an iconic subject in Neo Traditional—rendered in neon colors and adorned with ornamental-style decorations.

Marode, the ancient art of Buddhism on skin

He works in the elegant Bavarian city of Würzburg, home to Poison Heart, the tattoo shop he named after an old Ramones song. Yet Marode’s heart truly belongs to faraway ancient Buddhist villages, where his soul resonates with the spiritual meaning of the symbols that he then, with the greatest care, transfers onto the skin.

Sonia Sophia Cash

Sonia Sofia Cash (her name in the trade) has been tattooing for some time and works in a private studio in Berlin which she likes to surround with an aura of mystery. Her speciality is Traditional, and her themes include all sorts of Fifties pin-ups.

The flow tattoo of Yoan Delastre

Take the world, everything that catches your attention, and turn it into a design with graceful lines, running over the skin like velvet. Meet your client, listen to their ideas, and allow the tattoo to take shape from this encounter of different inspirations. This is one way to describe the creative philosophy of French tattooist Yoan Delastre, known on Instagram as Le Grand Nulle Part.

Welcome to Aura Ninety Four, London

They met while working at a tattoo shop in London. Luke (@lukeaashley) tattooed and Annie (@annigbelle) was the shop manager. They started working together on bookings and the merchandise Luke had started creating during the lockdown in the United Kingdom in 2020. Realizing they made a great team they decided to combine their strengths and open a studio together. And that is how in 2021, Aura Ninety Four, the shop we are visiting here, opened its doors in the Design District of southeast London.

Tattoo model: the Japanese body suit of Elisa

Meet Elisa, a 26-year-old Italian tattooist who “encountered” her bodysuit through her personal journey.

Portfolio: Indigenous Tattoo Traditions. Humanity through Skin and Ink

In this Portfolio, Lars Krutak takes readers on a journey through time, exploring the tattoo art and customs of many ancestral cultures across Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, the Arctic, Oceania, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Siberia.

Tattoo Mix: A selection of the best in every style… and much more!