MANNERS began with a simple fascination: the etiquette and social rules that once dictated how women should move through the world. While researching our location, Eltham Palace, Aisha found herself thinking about the women who had passed through its grand doors over hundreds of years, and the societal constraints placed upon them. She began to dive deep into the old rules of "ladylike" behaviour - rules governing how a woman should walk, talk, sit, look, and even think. Many felt absurd by today's standards, yet traces of these expectations still linger beneath the surface of modern life.

She was interested in exploring that tension through contrast rather than confrontation. Each vignette pairs a rigid instruction with an image that quietly contradicts it. The women in MANNERS are not rebels in an overt sense; they simply exist on their own terms. They take up space, follow their curiosity, and indulge their thoughts.

Eltham Palace was the perfect setting for this conversation. Its remarkable Art Deco interiors embody a world of formality, beauty, and social performance, while also feeling surprisingly modern. The architecture provided a backdrop where the past and present could exist simultaneously, allowing these women to move freely through spaces once shaped by very different expectations.

For the styling, the creative collaboration with fashion designer Isabella Hoelk and her brand LENY was central to the film's identity. Isabella creates versatile pieces for the multifaceted lives of modern women, a philosophy that aligned naturally with the themes we were exploring. The garments move effortlessly between moments of leisure, independence, elegance, and playfulness - reflecting women who refuse to be defined by a single role.

Ultimately, MANNERS is less interested in the rules themselves than in the women who have outgrown them. A celebration of self-possession, individuality, and the quiet confidence of choosing for yourself how to exist in the world.