Ealing-based Mehndi artist Manii Basran has won Starbucks UK’s nationwide Illustration Club competition, with her henna-inspired design set to appear on billboards across the country.
A West London artist has transformed one of Britain’s most recognisable coffee cups into a canvas for creativity after being crowned the winner of the Starbucks Illustration Club competition.
Manii Basran, a 36-year-old lettings manager and Mehndi artist from Ealing, was selected as the overall winner following a nationwide competition that invited members of the public to create their own artwork inspired by the Starbucks cup.
Her winning design combines the traditional art of Mehndi, which Basran has practised for almost two decades, with the instantly recognisable circular Starbucks siren logo.
The result is a detailed mandala-inspired design that celebrates Basran’s personal connection to Mehndi while giving the traditional art form a contemporary new canvas.
From Mehndi Cone to Starbucks Cup
Basran’s design was created entirely freehand in a single sitting.
Working without a sketch or pre-planned design, she used a Mehndi cone to create the intricate artwork directly onto a Starbucks cup. The cup itself was picked up from a Starbucks coffeehouse opposite her office before Basran took it back to work and began creating.
Her inspiration came from the circular shape of the Starbucks logo, which she felt naturally lent itself to a mandala motif.
The design also has a particularly personal significance for Basran. Mandala patterns are among the designs she regularly creates when adorning brides with Mehndi as part of pre-wedding celebrations – and she will be incorporating the style into her own wedding celebrations this month.
Basran grew up in Southall, West London, where Mehndi formed part of the celebrations and traditions surrounding her from an early age.
Speaking about her winning artwork, Basran described her idea as “cone to cup”, bringing together her long-standing love of Starbucks with an art form that has played an important role throughout her life.
Hundreds Of Entries Submitted Across The UK
The Starbucks Illustration Club ran from 3 to 21 August 2026, with hundreds of entries submitted from people across the UK.
A judging panel made up of artists, designers and Starbucks representatives was responsible for selecting the winning design.
The panel included British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE, Starbucks barista and artist Aaron Gonzales, artist and illustrator Rob Draper, and Paola Tassara Oromí, architect and director of store design at Starbucks EMEA.
Ilori praised Basran’s approach to combining a traditional artistic technique with an everyday object.
“Design is for everyone, and art is for everyone, and this artwork really celebrates the beauty of art as a global language.”
He added that applying henna to a coffee cup helped transform the artwork into something universal, allowing people to connect with and learn about the tradition behind it.
Manii Basran’s Artwork Heads Nationwide Campaign
Winning the competition comes with more than just bragging rights.
As part of her prize, Basran will receive a one-to-one mentorship opportunity with Yinka Ilori MBE, giving her the chance to work directly with the acclaimed artist and designer.
Her artwork is also being given a much larger platform, with the winning design appearing as part of a nationwide outdoor advertising campaign from 14 September.
That means Basran’s intricate Mehndi-inspired artwork will be displayed on outdoor advertising sites across the UK, turning the design she created on a single Starbucks cup into a campaign seen by audiences nationwide.
Nine runners-up will also receive exclusive Starbucks merchandise, while their designs will appear alongside Basran’s winning artwork as part of the nationwide campaign.
Celebrating Creativity In Everyday Spaces
According to Starbucks UK marketing director Vic Robertson, the Illustration Club was created to encourage people to take something familiar and turn it into something personal.
“We developed The Starbucks Illustration Club to give people the opportunity to turn something familiar like a coffee cup into something extraordinary,” Robertson said.
The competition forms part of Starbucks’ wider Made in Starbucks campaign, which launched earlier in 2026 and focuses on the creativity, conversations and personal projects taking place in Starbucks coffeehouses across the UK.
For Basran, however, the competition offered an opportunity to bring an art form deeply connected to her upbringing and personal life into an entirely different setting.
Her winning Starbucks cup demonstrates how traditional artistic practices can find new audiences when placed in unexpected surroundings – and, in this case, a takeaway coffee cup has become the canvas for nearly 20 years of Mehndi experience.
For more information, visit the official Starbucks UK website.
