International Women’s Day is this Tuesday and as there aren’t many female-dominated industries, it is so important that we celebrate the women in the nails industry. Today we want to shine a spotlight on three powerful and successful women in the nail industry who we think are totally inspirational- Charlotte Knight, Jin Soon and Jane Park.
Charlotte Knight is the founder of British brand Ciaté, who specialize in all things nail art. Remember the revolutionary caviar manicure? That was Charlotte. She began her career in the nail industry at age 21 when she opened Dublin’s first nail bar, where women flocked from all across Ireland to see what Charlotte had to offer. This success led her to London, Paris and New York fashion week where she worked as a technician, mixing all her own colors. Charlotte saw a gap in the market for unusual textures and shades, which is one of the key elements of her brand today. Inspirational women in Charlotte’s life include her mother and her daughter, who inspire her to release her inner child, resulting in the revolutionary nail flair that Ciaté has become famous for. Ciaté is a brand about girls, created with femininity in mind! The signature look of the brand is the bow on the bottle. This was created out of Charlotte’s dislike of the gap between the cap and the bottle on all nail polish bottles. She discovered you cannot get rid of this, because of the inner mechanics of the cap, but in order to hide it she created the Ciaté bow. This adds the chic factor to the bottles and has become the signature of the entire brand. Here’s to you Charlotte, you are an inspiration and a trend-setter!
Jin Soon Choi is one of the most influential nail artists in the industry. After moving from her home country Korea to NYC in 1991, she quickly built a reputation as a freelance nail artist. Jin’s work in salons frustrated her as she felt not enough time was spent with each of her clients, inspiring her to go out and offer her own, more personalized and one-on-one services. New York Times Magazine crowned Jin the “Nail Guru”. Today she has three spas in NYC, in the East Village, the West Village and the Upper East Side; each specializes in nail treatments as well as waxing and brow shaping. Jin debuted her own polish collection in 2012, naming shades after models she works with regularly. Her polishes are 5-free and use high-tech polymers to ensure long-wear and a shiny finish. Jin is a passionate, hard-working and dedicated member of the nail industry!
Jane Park is the founder and CEO of the brand Julep, one of the fastest gwroing beauty brands in the U.S. Jane began her brand with a passion for her girlfriends and the magic that happens when women empower other women to feel free. She left senior positions at both Starbucks and the Boston Consulting Group to go after her passion of nails. Jane’s education focuses on issues that impact women and she has degrees in Public Policy and International Affairs from Princeton and Law from Yale. Inspirational, right?! Jane spoke of her passion for nail polish and how it made her feel, stating “My favorite thing is when a woman tells me she’s tried a Julep color she would never have worn before and it makes her feel happy and confident. I believe magic happens when we push beyond our comfort zones—whether in color or anything else. So many amazing women have inspired me to grow in ways I could never have imagined on my own. I so treasure the gift of girlfriends who inspire you to become who you are meant to be while also loving you for who you are today. This is why I created Julep.” Seriously, how can you not love her!
We just love all these women AND their passion for their craft! Do any of these women inspire you too? Let us know in the comments!
The Pedicure Team
xx
