“To start with, there was the goddess…” 

So starts Las Mujeres de Fuego, a latest campaign film from Fuego Nails. Inspired by the ways mythology and history have been manipulated to forged shame upon powerful women, Las Mujeres de Fuego, or Women of Fire, tells the story of 5 female archetypes and explores the taboos related to them starting from witchcraft to sexuality.

The campaign comes from London-based salon Fuego Nails and launches its Bad Bitch press-on nail collection. Founded by Natasha Blake, on the centre of Fuego Nails is an ethos of sisterhood and feminine empowerment. A practising bruja, Blake brings her intuitive energy into her job, working collaboratively together with her clients to materialise their visions into tangible realities and create deeply symbolic nail art. With Las Mujeres de Fuego, Blake desired to portray the recurring themes she was seeing in the way in which her clients were expressing themselves. “I desired to reflect this inside my work in order that anyone could feel their personality expressed through the nails they decide to wear,” Blake says. “The concept is that there is a design on this collection for everybody.” 

Each of the ladies in Las Mujeres de Fuego, at the identical time, epitomise and usurp stereotyped visions of womanhood. By heightening and poking fun on the traits which have been historically used to carry women down, they turn this narrative on its head. “All of the characters are bad bitches in their very own way and there is one in all them in all of us,” says Blake.

Below, director Jocelyn Anquetil talks inspiration, mythology and, in fact, nails.

What inspired this video?
Jocelyn Anquetil: Tasha and I just bashed heads. We met on a shoot last 12 months and I used to be absolutely dying to do a shoot together with her. So I sent her this presentation back in December –it was all about women who embody taboos and misconceptions, fiery characters empowered by their nails – and as soon as she read it she got here back like, “Oh my god, that is something I’ve been wanting to do for ages”. It was so spooky. She’d been planning a shoot about her latest nail collection, and the archetypes of her clients, and someway all of it fell into place. She brought along the contextual knowledge, adding a layer of history and mythology to the taboo ideas I had, and the ridiculous nail talent after which BOOM, we had our film. She told me to read Merlin Stone’s book When God Was A Woman and that’s really where all of it got going. It was so interesting to examine this a part of history, and the way history is recorded, and understanding how that has manipulated the gender-based imbalances in our society. So in a nutshell, the film is inspired by the judgement and expectations which might be thrust onto women, the way in which through which stories in history and mythology have been manipulated to forged shame upon powerful women characters, and the way we will use our self-expression and strength to empower ourselves and reclaim the taboos and judgement that after weighed upon us. And nails!

How did you give you the characters for the video?
Jocelyn Anquetil: The characters within the film are inspired by a mix of things. They each embody the traits of a taboo aimed toward women – witchcraft, sexuality, greed, for instance –in addition to symbolise women from mythology which have been demonised by the pens that scribed their stories. After we were developing the characters we noticed so many similarities between these entities and the styles people come to Fuego Nails for, that the characters began to also develop into an incarnation of the nails themselves. 

What do you’re thinking that the video says about beauty today?
Jocelyn Anquetil: I suppose it says quite a bit about nails and the place nail art is carving out for itself within the ‘beauty’ world today. Nails are definitely becoming a more universal solution to express and define yourself. People from every kind of backgrounds are using their hands as mini-canvasses to specific the intricacies or hidden points of their style and nature. They could be so extra yet so subtle. A lot creativity in such a small space!

What would you just like the viewer to remove from this? 
Jocelyn Anquetil: I’d love for people to remove the historical knowledge… in regards to the formation of history and mythology, in the way in which it was transcribed, and the way it has snowballed into the societal roles and imbalances that we are attempting to disrupt today. A fierce sense of primordial empowerment!

What does beauty mean to you?
Jocelyn Anquetil: In my mind, beauty is something you do for yourself. It’s a way you’re feeling or a frame of mind – not for or determined by anyone else. 

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Director Jocelyn Anquetil
Story Jocelyn Anquetil & Natasha Blake
Producer Lucy Hawes
Executive Producers Lucy Hawes & Jocelyn Anquetil Cinematography Anna MacDonald

A JUICY & MILL+ PRODUCTION STARRING

Natasha Blake as La Diosa Del Fuego
Grace Neutral as La Bruja
Josie Man as Angelita Mikaela Lima Costa as Trash Queen
Valeria Chrampani as Bad Bitch Carmen Jade Jackman as Dread
Lavina Loftus-Cheek as Moira Sonny Turner as Lilith
Jimena Mancilla as The Voice of Mother Nature

Nails Fuego Nails

Production Design Ranya El-Rafaey Hair & Make Up Design AJ Juttla
Stylist Emma Jayne Lipop
Editor Amanda Jenkins
Original Soundtrack Marnie Rose Davidge

1st AD Miles Lacey
2nd AD Jo Guthrie

Production Assistant Eve McGovren

Focus Puller Stephanie Kennedy
2nd AC Elisa Spigariol
Camera Trainee Katie McQuillan
DIT Eve McGovren

Gaffer Greg Probert
Spark Jasper Clarkson

Art Department Assistant Emily Noble
Poppy Shephard

Fuego Nails PA Jasmine  Lloyd Fuego Nails BTS Photographer Lola Webster

Hair & Make-Up Supervisor Ian Grummit
Hair & Make-Up Assistant Paul Rogers, Graziella Cawthorne Vella, Maya Man, Anya McDevitt and Hannah Frances Martin

Wardrobe Assistant Rhain Teasdale

Director’s Assistant Lucy Abraham
Production Runners Thom Rumbelow, Judit Jakli and Marnie Rose Davidge
Infinity Bae Jadryk

With special due to Jahle Jureidini @ MiLK

Asha Chandler @ Arri Rental Karine Gama @ Panalux

EDITORS – TENTHREE

Post-Production Executive Producer Julian Marshall
Post-Production Assistant Producer Rachael Goodger

POST PRODUCTION – THE MILL

Executive Producer Clare Melia
Production Assistant Bruce ‘Brenda’ Langfield
Production Assistant Judit Jakli
2D Lead Georgina Ford
2D Artist Holly McClean
Motion Designer Freya Barnsley
Graphic Designer Jo Guthrie
Color Artist Megan Lee
Data Lab Alex O’Brien
2D Artwork Support Operator Robyn Goncalves-Borrageiro

SOUND DESIGN- FACTORY

Audio Producer Deborah Whitfield
Sound Designer Josh Campbell