Fashion, Femininity and Force: Meet Film Collective Babes with Blades

Kicking the film industry’s ass, film collective Babes with Blades - founded by director Jade Ang Jackman and stunt performer Ayesha Hussain - are shaking up the film industry. On a mission to break down outdated tropes and amplify voices often sidelined in the action genre, they're crafting a bold new narrative - one punch, kick, and fight sequence at a time. Their latest short film, Split (2024) - which debuted to the public last month at Sweeties, the cocktail bar at The Standard - unfolds a visually striking, action-packed showdown between two friends debating how to split the bill after a wild night out.

We caught up with Babes with Blades co-founder Jade Ang Jackman to chat about the film alongside the collective’s mission, and why Asian women form an integral part of the action genre.

SHOWstudio: How did Babes with Blades come about?

Jade Ang Jackman: Four years ago, Ayesha threw a knife at me and, as they say, the rest is history. I slid into her DMs because I wanted to make a documentary about an Asian, East or South Asian, woman in stunts. I read an article about there being several instances of blackface and it discussed the lack of representation of women of colour. Given that so much action is inspired by Hong Kong cinema and East Asian stars, I wanted to work with the UK’s rising stars in the scene and that’s how we first connected. Ayesha is the first South Asian stuntwoman in Europe so it made a lot of sense.

Since then, Ayesha has gone on to be Psylocke in the latest Deadpool and Wolverine as well as doing stunts in Dr Who and Gladiator II. I’ve been working for motorbike brands and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) as well as focusing on collaborating with elite Olympic athletes such as Ysaora Thibus and Carina Edlinger. [Whilst working on other projects,] we decided to do a print shoot with her standing on her horse and I styled her in a full Gucci tracksuit. She did all her own makeup and we were like "how many people are doing this?" After that, we realised how our approach to action, our identities and work in fashion spheres was quite different to what was out there and we formalised Babes with Blades.

SHOWstudio: What would you say is the one mission that defines Babes with Blades?

JAJ: We see ourselves as a collective celebrating fresh takes on the action genre and encouraging new voices to storytelling in that space. Given the current makeup of the industry, we also want to inspire other women, especially from non-white backgrounds, to get into making highly aestheticised violence.

Personally, I’m also really inspired by Leah Tokelove’s Days on the Dirt and the brilliant Charlotte and Claire at VC’s Moto School who provide training in a professional environment for women to get into motorbiking and all motosports. There is a gendered skill gap that can be fixed by initiatives such as these and I know Ayesha, who is a professional knife thrower herself, is keen to support other women who want to learn to use weapons professionally.

SHOWstudio: What is it about the action genre in film that you find interesting?

JAJ: High-octane shit, cars, motorbikes, swords, fighting… what's not to love? Jokes aside, I’ve always really loved collaborating with people who tell stories with their bodies and stunt performers are the apex of that. For a while, we’ve had similar narratives around war, lots of male spies and I’m interested in crafting new narratives around why people resist, get into other nefarious activities or hot girl heists. It feels like a really exciting genre to be involved in right now with films like Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) and Polite Society (2023) coming out.

SHOWstudio: Tell me about Split. How did it come about? What did those early conversations look like?

JAJ: I was in a bit of a low place, creatively speaking, and my producer and best friend Kola Bello got me to write this short idea for a film competition. We’ve been scheming about making narrative films together for a while and he definitely kept my inspiration alive. I was inspired by joking with friends about how Asian families trying to pay the bill becomes like a war and considering Ayesha and I fight like this to pay for each other, I thought it would be a tidy concept for a short action film.

Very serendipitously, Cameron Malik-Fynn, who is an innovator with food and beverage marketing at the Standard and other brands, reached out to Babes with Blades to shoot a project. We started chatting about the relationship between action films and cocktails such as the Vesper Martini in James Bond. Then, I told him about an idea that I had about two female friends fighting to split the bill and we decided that’d be a cool way to show off The Standard’s drinks menu.

When writing, I’d always had Ayesha in mind for the role of Layla. As it was a low-budget production, it was really close friends and family in the crew - my aunt, Tracey Kow, actually did the Cantonese for the PoPo character.

SHOWstudio: Can you talk about the importance of fashion in Split ?

JAJ: When rehearsing with our stunt team, we were testing clothes with performer Jo Rolinson to see what she could easily kick and slide down the bar in.

As our stylist, Ella Lucia, says "My approach to the wardrobe started with the technical movement requirements of each character. For both main fighters, we choose in the end to go for skirts over the obvious choice of trousers. There was something about seeing high kicks and stunts played out in this typically feminine attire that gave the movement even more attitude. The flexibility of designer Chet Lo’s spiky knitted skirt worked perfectly for this".

Ayesha also has starred in Sophia al-Maria’s film, Gravity & Grace (2024), for Miu Miu’s SS24 Paris Fashion show. We loved how Miu Miu’s mini-skirt navy two-piece moved. But it also looked like a modern interpretation of Gogo Yubari’s uniform in Kill Bill (2003). Since I saw Asai’s nunchuck and weapon handbags, I’ve been obsessed. So, I was keen to get them in there as well as wanting to use Lu’u Dan, as the brand perfectly encapsulates the 'Asian villain' look.

SHOWstudio: Do you place specific emphasis on fashion in your films? Do you think such choices can help push the narrative behind your mission?

JAJ: 100%. My housemate, Maddy Alford, who is a fashion editor, always kids that there is a Jade Ang Jackman brandbook, so, I think I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about fashion or have a particular style. He probably won’t realise this but my uncle is a massive influence on me. He used to own a sports shop, he showed me Uma Thurman’s fit in Kill Bill (2003), told me the history of Onitsuka Tigers and Asics, all the while riding Ducati’s and building vintage cars himself. Growing up, I didn’t realise how uncommon it was in Europe to see a man from a Malaysian Chinese background doing this but it has been pointed out to me since. So I guess that motorsports aesthetic has been subconsciously plugged into my brain.'

For a long time, women in action have been fighting in the most ridiculous outfits. I remember watching Wonder Woman and seeing a shot where the stuntwoman was in flats and then it cut back to the actor in heels. Sure, everyone wants to look hot, but if you chat to stunt performers and actors, they also want to be able to move. If you’ve ever burnt your ankle on an exhaust, you aren’t going to leave your ankles out in heels or trainers. Just as if you know you are going to be fighting, are stilettos your tool of choice? Maybe to poke someone’s eye out but not if you are going to be able to run away. Designers such as Johanna Parv, are making sexy but technical garments and that is the sort of costume design that I’ll be bringing into my future productions.

SHOWstudio: Do you feel like representation for women and minorities is growing in film?

JAJ: Well, a woman still hasn’t directed a Bond movie so I think that says a lot. Within my own community, I see a lot of amazing work being done behind and in-front of the camera such as the work done by Milk Tea Films. However, I still think there is a glass ceiling in terms of the wider industry that needs executives to take more risks.

Watch the trailer to Split here.