2 female models with bows in their hair and stylised swords as eyeliner.

Raging Women by Léna Rodrigues, BA (Hons) Hair and Make-up for Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL. Models: Esther and Lia. Photographer: Jenna Andriani

University of the Arts London

UAL Showcase Collections

A Woman's Place

A photographic exploration of family dynamics, particularly between a mother and her daughters. “My Stringbean, My Woman is a poignant photo series that expresses the complexity of human relationships, particularly between a daughters and mothers. I liked the use of composition and setting here. It illustrates the power of photography to delve deeply, helping you understand your place within your family. A brilliantly empathetic project.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

My Stringbean, My Woman

Studio portrait of two women in pagne and t-shirts.

This thesis is an alternative reading of studio and documentary photography in Bamako (Mali), emphasising female narratives during the politically charged period of 1960-1968.“This wasn’t a topic I was already familiar with, so I was interested to learn more. It made me think about the symbolism of clothes and style as a form of self-expression. At Mother Design, we work with a lot of retail and fashion clients, so I found it interesting to consider that cultural significance.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Female Agency in Post Independent Bamako

Picture of 'Who looks at who' with the designer.

A collection if design pieces exploring the ways in which gender related power dynamics can be deconstructed through objects. “I had a strong reaction to this project. It was an amazing work, though I also felt depressed that we’re still trying to tackle the same issues we have for decades. Progress is too slow! My favourite moment from the video is the sequence with the chairs, where you see the man and then the woman sprawled out. A stark reminder about how the world continues to be unequal and the fact we need to talk about this before anything will change.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

BIAS-UNBIAS

A pair of hands hold a pink and yellow rose against a black background.

A photographic project that draws a visual parallel between flower and the female genitalia. The imagery speaks of the violent act of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).“This is such a powerful medium to tell a story that needs to be told but is also very confronting. This is one of the projects that stuck with me the most from the collection because it felt like such a surprising and beautiful way to talk about a difficult topic.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose

A view of a female-appearing body with long, plaited armpit hair.

A visual documentation of the photographer&#39;s personal relationship with body hair. “There are many projects that talk about body hair, which I found interesting as someone who works with feminine hygiene and beauty brands. This is something we often debate. I liked the way this artist tackled it with humour. When you’re thinking about how to engage people in some of these issues women face, using humour can open up serious conversations about social pressures.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

peluda

A red acrylic box symbolises the uterus and traumatised bodies of women after childbirth.

An illustration and visual media project that demonstrates the potential traumas of childbirth and criticises the lack of care and attention given to women after childbirth. “Trauma in childbirth is a topic that isn’t talked about enough within public discussions. Using the packaging as a metaphor for this was a subtle and powerful way of expressing a strong viewpoint. It was punchier and more interesting than just spelling it out. A really clever project.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Global Baby Express

A collage-style embellished photograph of a woman kneeling, holding some flowers.

An art project that focuses on the artist&#39;s personal journey with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), exploring the physical, emotional, and psychological toll this condition can take.“I loved the neat way the artist used a mixed medium approach to convey emotion. You could feel it in every image. The aesthetic is unique and specific and really stands out as a style I’ve not necessarily come across before. Clever and visually arresting. You really feel the painful experiences that the artist is trying to convey.”  – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

PCOS and its effects on women

A book with the title Woman disappearing in romance alongside a set of images of women in red ink.

A book exploring heteronormative romantic love narratives in contemporary Chinese female-oriented urban dramas. “This project took me out of my everyday cultural narrative, inviting me to look at the subject through a non-Western lens. I found it interesting to delve into the artist’s perspective on the position of women in Chinese drama. The contradictions explored between liberation and gender stereotypes shocked me because you forget that this still exists. Working on commercial projects, you can unwittingly play into that in some of the many decisions you make, without knowing the implications for women in the future. Woman disappearing into romance reminded me of the power we have as creatives to change the narrative.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Woman disappearing in romance

Girl Dinner book, eating disorder recovery images

A graphic media design delving into the influence of contemporary social media, notably on platforms like TikTok and Tumblr, on young women recovering from eating disorders. “This is such an important topic. We are constantly being bombarded with the latest diet fad or the next unachievable body image. Different body shapes come in and out of fashion. One minute, we’re talking about body positivity and the next, super skinny models are back on catwalk.  This work does the important job of bringing our relationship with food front and centre.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Girl Dinner

A person in bed with the sheets pulled up, the words RED in red font overlay the image.

An experimental film to illustrate the impact of the male gaze on the portrayal of femininity in fashion films through a visual juxtaposition contrasting the male and female gaze.“Female portrayal in fashion films was a great reminder of the impact I can have as a creative director working in the fashion industry. I am sometimes guilty of making films like the one on the left! This was a good motivation for me to look through that lens at everything that I do.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Female portrayal in fashion films

woman in white stands stands with back to camera

Photo series inspired by the mythical figure of the Cailleach, an ancient Irish goddess.“I love The Cailleach. Mythology is such a powerful tool for telling stories and engaging people. I thought it was really fitting how the artist chose to use this to explore issues around femininity.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

The Cailleach

Two women dance together, their bodies entwined.

A dance film that delves into the dilemmas Chinese women face about leaving or staying in China.“I&#39;ve always come from a very multidisciplinary, like point of view. Dance, like music, speaks across languages. It can break down barriers between cultures, so it felt like s perfect medium for the issues that the artist was trying to express here around women’s decision about whether to remain in China or relocate abroad. A brilliant project.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Caroline Jinglei Yang

Two young women wearing headscarves with the words 'you came to the right space' overlaying the image.

A digital purchasing application called Zeina to help Saudi Muslim Hijabi Gen Z females in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia who struggle to find Hijabi clothes to wear when abroad. “What I love about this project is how it touches on the extent that product development can change society. I thought the way the student hadn’t simply put forward a statement. She came up with a solution to a problem many women face. That was really refreshing. It’s a great example of building the future that you want to see.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Hijab Meets Style

An eye surrounded by feathers in a pastel pink colour.

A hair and makeup fashion project represent three different ways that female rage can be expressed, using song lyrics as a reference point. “There are so many biases in how we conceive of the acceptable emotional spectrum for women and for men. You see this in friendships, relationships and the workplace. The same emotion expressed by male counterparts might be accepted whereas from a woman it’s seen as aggressive. It&#39;s so important for us to be able to step outside of what&#39;s expected. A refreshing project that reminds you to check what you’re imposing on yourself as a woman. By honing in on rage, the artist opens up a conversation about all emotions” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Raging Women

A woman stands holding a vase and a bottle, while a man sits at the table with his feet up, reading the newspaper.

Short film was inspired by a compilation of 1940s-50s public service announcements on the things a woman must know. “Guide to Happy Womanhood is a great project. With a short video, the filmmaker told the story with a smile in mind, which I appreciated. It was disarming but at the same time delivered a really powerful message.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

The guide to a happy womanhood

Two people stand on stools in a large, airy, warehouse-like space.

Photography project that centres on the conflict between familial expectations and individual aspirations within the Chinese father-daughter relationship.“A powerfully emotive personal story told in a really well-executed way. You know everything about the relationship explored here in just a couple of images. This impressively illustrates that old idea that a pi is worth 1000 words.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Shall We Talk?

Fashion image and illustration project that explores the theme of girlhood and the inherent link between femininity, growing up and ballet. “A beautiful illustration project, Is this Girlhood stood out to me because I appreciated the craft and care that went into it. I was impressed by how well the pictures express experience. The artist completely captures that teenage spirit in the medium.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Is This Girlhood? 

A mood board with colour swatches, images of women farmers and annotations.

Textile design project exploring the lack of farming clothing, aimed at women. The garments combine multi-functional qualities but also reflect the nature and bring in a sense of playfulness, fun and colour. “I grew up in the countryside, so I enjoyed this project on a personal level. It tapped into the idea that the world is designed for men. This focused on garments but when you go back in history, you discover that even the tools used for farming the land were designed for men’s bodies. I found the artist’s insights into modern day farming interesting and I liked the use of design solutions to build a more inclusive future.” – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Farm Girl!

Three arms holding hand weights in neutral tones.

Stably is a modular system of redesigned gym equipment that combines the core of the most common free weights: dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells. “Stably offers a social reframing through the lens of design, asking why things need to be done as they’ve always been done before. Through the medium of weights, the designer exploring ways of making exercise accessible to more people, which I thought was really interesting. Often workout equipment doesn’t feel like it has been designed with women in mind. Stably does a nice job of delivering a powerful message while also offering a solution.”  – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Stably: modular weights designed for women

Scale model of whole proposal on a white background.

An architectural intervention aims to provide support to women through the construction of collective evolving meditation spaces.“Historically, the world has been designed for men. This project is a powerful exploration of how our physical environment can shape our behaviour and emotions – whether that relates to mental health, to crime or other aspects of our lives.”  – Kirsty Minns, Creative Director and Partner at Mother Design

Minds Over Matter

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