Whether it’s oversized pearl talons straight out of ALL-IN’s maximalist playbook, or stripped-back logo nails made for Miu Miu fanatics, nail art is no longer a quiet detail— it’s a statement. Once fashion’s underdog accessory, nails have become editorial essentials on red carpets and campaigns for the biggest houses. Still, only within the past half-decade have the artists behind them gained proper recognition. Experimental, surreal, and often technically mind-blowing, these sculptural micro-canvases are changing the way we think about detail. As the line between fashion, beauty, and art continues to blur, here are 7 artists shaping the nail moments in your favorite runway shows, campaigns, and covers.
MEI KAWAJIRI (@nailsbymei)
If you’ve ever double-tapped a photo of outlandishly 3D nails, chances are it was one of Mei’s designs. Kyoto-born and Harajuku-raised, she’s the high priestess of maximalist nail art— where surreal meets sculptural and “subtle” is a foreign word. Now based in New York, Mei likes to look at different mediums like furniture design and fashion photography to dream up her joyful, chaotic creations. She is a backstage regular at Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, and Miu Miu shows, and her private clients include icons such as Dua Lipa, Addison Rae, Jennie, and Lana Del Ray.
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SLYVIE MACMILLIAN
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As an advisory board member of the British Beauty Council, Sylvie Macmillian is a leading figure in the manicure world. She has formal training in technical arts and model-making, and as a result approaches nails like tiny sets, blending fantasy and function to consider looks for the whole hand. Her imaginative, detail-heavy work has shaped standout moments for Off-White, Burberry, KNWLS and Bella Hadid, challenging the notion that nails are just an afterthought in fashion.
CAM TRAN (@cam.t.artist)
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Cam Tran is a nail artist with a painter’s eye and a sculptor’s hand. Her work is delicate but commanding: bespoke jewels for the fingertips, seen on runways for Schiaparelli, Jean Paul Gautier, Issey Miyake, and Courrèges, just to name a few. Fusing impressionist strokes with avant-garde forms, she turns nails into miniature studies in light, texture, and movement, and perfectly on point for each brand.
JUAN ALVEAR (@byjuanalvear)
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Juan Alvear doesn’t just do nails— he sculpts little surrealist fantasies at your fingertips. Born in The Big Apple, Alvear graduated with a degree in fine art from the esteemed Cooper Union, explaining his dali-esque designs that walk the line between art and adornment. Somehow both grotesque and elegant, his work pulls from nature, dreams, and queer subcultures, captivating the likes of FKA Twigs, Rosalía, Charli XCX and LISA.
ERI NARITA (@erinaritanail)
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Born in Yokohama and currently based in Paris, Eri Narita always dreamt of working in nails, but it took a life-altering moment to finally push her there. Now she’s a go-to at Paris Fashion Week, in addition to numerous covers for Vogue and campaigns for Prada and Alaïa under her belt. She’s known for her flexibility and quick-thinking creativity, designs that are detailed, elegant and always editorially sharp.
HOLLY FALCONE (@hollyfalconenails)
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If you’ve ever screenshotted a Sandy Liang nail moment, Holly Falcone was the genie behind it. A loyal collaborator for New York’s most charmingly offbeat brands— Piscavera, Susan Alexandra, Maryam Nassirzadeh— her work walks the line between playful and polished. With ample experience in on-set work, she instinctively knows how to complement clothes, makeup and moodboards without overdoing it. Think gemstones, cheeky martini glasses and ultra-wearable graphics designed for your real life (and saved folder).
ALEX FELLER
Akin to her unique style, Alex Feller brings a radical edge to nail design. Based in Paris, she works with the École des Beaux-Arts to develop new techniques that push nails into experimental, futuristic territory. The result is an undeniably cool vision that has manifested on runways for Coperni and Casablanca and campaigns for Mowalola and Mugler.
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Editor
Talia Tom
