Is Nail Art Dying?
Colorful, intricate nail art may have met its demise, as fashion trendsetters are reverting to basic neutral polish. Lacquers and nail kits are still selling, but not quite at the booming rate they once were. According to Women's Wear Daily, sales of prestige nail products increased by 19%, but they're down 23% overall from last year.
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Drugstore brands rose 19%, but that's a decline of 5.8%. At the height of polish sales In 2011, both divisions rose an astounding 67% and 35.7%. With teens creating nail art tutorials and even career women in traditional offices wearing creative shades like navy blue, why the sudden decline in polish? Apparently the back-to-basics backlash has just begun.
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"I feel a bit tired for all the gimmicks," Jin Soon Choi, celeb manicurist and New York salon owner told WWD. Choi, who created her own line of nail polishes last year, forecasts "simple nail color" as the key look for Fall 2013 because "clean art has staying power." And she's not the only expert to feel this way. If the fashion industry has anything to do with it, all the creative colors and new finishes might fall flat when it comes to consumer sales.
According to racked.com, fashion designer Marc Jacobs declared that his favorite nail color is clear. Meanwhile,Vogue Editor-In-Chief, Anna Wintour, recently published an article written by former Teen Vogue Beauty Director (turned Lucky Editor-In-Chief), Eva Chen, about her personal nail art detox.
"I've never met a glitter I didn't like," Chen wrote in the May 2013 issue of Vogue. "But, something changed at the [spring 2013] shows. It seemed fashion was experiencing a collective case of blank slates."
This "collective case of blank slates" Chen refers to are the nude nails she noticed backstage at fashion shows for designers such as Altuzarra and Zac Posen. Other colorless nail looks dotted the runways of the Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone and Chanel shows.
Even celebrities have jumped off the nail art bandwagon, as several showcased clean, neutral nails at some of Hollywood's biggest events, such as the Oscars. That E! mani cam just got a whole lot less interesting.
But, as with many trends, it may be that the world needs some time to catch up with the trends amongst the fashion elite. It's still summer, and bright colors and nail art are bountiful. Come fall, as women trade their hot pinks for shades of gray, the story may change. For now, the polish industry remains optimistic.
"Not everything can grow at 40 percent a year, but if it grows at 5 or 6 percent, that's pretty good," David Greenberg, president of Maybelline New York, Garnier and Essie at L'Oreal, recently said at a panel hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women.
Retailers like Sephora are also banking on the trend's longevity and select locations like their New York City's Times Square shop have outfitted special sections of the store with "nail play" stations, which allow consumers to play with iPads and see which polishes and nail effects will look best on their nails. From ombre to neons, and studded leather and chalkboard effects, there's an avid array of designs and textures for consumers to try on. Nail polish brands such as Sally Hansen and OPI continue to launch new finishes (Fuzzy Coat, anyone?) and have plans to release even more for the fall season.
Will women ditch their creative polish collections for old school baby pinks come fall? It would a surprising change, but all trends fade eventually. One thing is for sure: if you've been hoarding nail stickers and nail art kits, now is the time to apply them.
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