Looking for Manicure Inspiration? Follow Nails by Mei

With more than 230k followers on Instagram, Mei Kawajiri—or Nails by Mei—has long outgrew her original cult following. Her clients include celebrity giants like Dua Lipa and Alexa Demie, and her designs are seen on brands like Balenciaga and Alexander Wang.

Born in Kyoto, Mei’s nail-art journey began at a beauty school in Osaka where she learned classic manicure techniques before moving to New York in 2012. “[When I was younger I] found a nail book in the bookstore and [realized I] wanted to do something with art for my career,” she recalled in an interview with Coveteur. “I was thinking [that I wanted to be a] tattoo artist but my mom said no. I knew I wanted to have art on my body all the time, [so] I decided I should be a nail artist and went to nail school at the age of 19.”

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According to Mei, when she started out, nail art wasn’t big. “I started doing my nails crazy, and so many people asked me [if I could do the same on them] so I started doing it in Japan, in Kyoto, which is a very quiet place,” she explains. “Then I moved to Tokyo when I was 21 years old [to work at] a nail salon, and then when I was 23, I opened [my own] nail salon in Harajuku, [called] FOXXY. I did Omakase nail, meaning I did whatever I wanted, but I made it a little cheaper [than others], like $80.”

Now Based in NYC, her expertise is well sought after. in October 2019, the British Fashion Council named her as one of their New Wave: Creatives ahead of the Fashion Awards.  Her recent nail art, include Stay Home-themed nails, and Earth Day nails, and even bear-inspired nails.

If you’re still aren’t following Mei on Instagram, now’s the time.

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