Meet GFF Talent, Sophie McPherson, a Fashion Branding and Communication graduate from Arts University Bournemouth. Sophie’s final project is called Lush Me, created to break down the taboos and educate women about their bodies. Lush Me is created for the brand Lush to be a product line of feminine hygiene range as well as a publication.
“I noticed that vagina stigma was associated to the lack of education that Millennials and Generation Z had when growing up,” she says. “My research identified a gap in the market for a natural and organic feminine hygiene range which is where I began developing Lush Me.” Read more about Sophie and her work below!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
The most valuable skill I have learnt at university is the importance of collaborating. It was only in my final year I really began to do this, however it made a significant impact on my Final Major Project and how I now view the creative industries. Working with such talented creatives (such as illustrators, visual communicators and graphic designers) allowed me to discuss creative ideas in a very different way to which I am used to. Every new creative I collaborated with taught me something new or opened my eyes with their personal approach or creative ideas which helped me look at the project in a wider form.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
Initially I began researching into the UK's sex education syllabus, the age that this begins and how this is communicated to young children. My research then developed into the taboo around the vagina but more specifically intimate health and hygiene. I noticed the stigma around this topic particularly around infections or health concerns like Bacterial Vaginosis and Thrush. The more I read about how women actually are really uneducated about their own vagina's the more driving force I had to push this concept. I noticed that the vagina stigma was associated to the lack of education that Millennials and Generation Z had when growing up. My research identified a gap in the market for a natural and organic feminine hygiene range which is where I began developing Lush Me.
What form does your final project take?
My Final Major Project, Lush Me is a new, innovative concept for the well-known high street brand Lush. A natural, organic and vegan feminine hygiene product range, dedicated to empowering women to take control of vaginal health/hygiene by educating and empowering women together. Lush Me is a unique and personal product line that will encourage more consumers to understand the importance of using specially crafted, 100% natural products to maintain, optimise vaginal health and pH balance.
The Lush Me campaign has two main features; a product line and a publication. The publication is called Lady Garden, it is educational, interactive and colourfully illustrated. It has been created to support the new product range and aims to educate, unite and empower women to break the vagina taboo in a fun and light-hearted way. An exclusive range of Lush Me knot wrap designs have also been created for a sustainable packaging alternative for the prepackaged sets with a free zine attached. The knot wraps are designed to be kept and repurposed.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My initial idea was to create one zine which would have been 20 pages.This idea evolved into creating a book and then finally into a publication which ended up consisting of over 100 pages. Through this project I have learnt key project management skills and have had to be incredibly organised to ensure all of the artists collaborating are meeting strict deadlines and working to the brief. I have learnt the importance of creating a project that I am passionate about rather than being concerned what others will think of the slightly awkward concept. I have learnt the importance of allowing enough time before a deadline as unfortunately I had a lot of technical issues however this taught me how to deal with these issues and remain calm under pressure.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
The key messages and themes within my project are education, women empowerment, diversity and sustainability. Lush Me is fully inclusive and the publication enforces education and acceptance. The aim of the project is to re-educate ourselves about women's bodies and how all vulva's are normal but also to educate women to know their bodies and when something is not quite right. The wider aim is to crush the taboos that women face around their vagina's and encourage open discussions for all without shame or discrimination.
Lush Me has sustainability at the core of the brand with various strategies in place to further enforce this. The Knot Wrap packaging has many use opportunities after purchase and is aimed to be kept as a keepsake item. The campaign will launch a Return, Refill and Repeat incentive to eliminate the amount of plastic wasted. The publication itself features many interactive elements which aims to encourage consumers to keep this item and use it for reference in the future or to pass it on to friends or family to further educate others. These high quality extra features will engage the reader further with the aim to avoid the 'read once throw it out' attitude.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
There has been a lot of negativity around social media in the recent years and I am passionate about focusing my efforts to help bring this platform back to what once was a positive experience. I would like to use social media to make a positive impact in the world of sustainability. I also hope to help educate within the fashion industry about topics within women empowerment/taboos to further open the conversation and bridge the gap that women face.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
I would like to work within the field of social media, marketing or PR. I have an internship with Skinnydip London agreed working in their social media and marketing team. I am looking forward to gaining industry experience with a brand my style resonates with. The future aim is to pitch my Final Major Project idea ‘Lush Me’ to Lush directly and I would love to actually work for Lush within their marketing or PR team.