Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Nails is debuting its first-ever pop-up shop, in collaboration with Shopify, in New York City. The weekend event is an immersive experience, with exclusive nail art demonstrations, interactive sessions, and a first look at recent product launches. Pink Friday Nails launched earlier this year as a direct-to-consumer brand, coinciding with Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour. It features almost a dozen designs of press-on nails, some in multiple colorways, in four different nail shapes and five different lengths. The line prides itself on quality, affordable nails based on styles worn by Minaj. “When I became a mom, I couldn’t spend as much time getting my nails done as when I only had to worry about me, so it became a necessity to create fly, quality press-on nails,” Minaj said in a statement. “I told my team when we started Pink Friday Nails that if I don’t want to wear them, I’m not going to even attempt to sell them.”
The pop-up also features a chance to meet Yvett G, celebrity nail artist and the creative director of Pink Friday Nails, who has been instrumental in translating the superstar’s vision into stunning designs and crafting a line of nails that combines practicality with glamour. Black Enterprise got a sneap peak at the pop-up and an exclusive sit-down with the creative director to chat about succeeding as a woman of color in the nail industry:
How did you get into doing nails?
I’ve been doing nails since I was 15. It came to me naturally. I was just really good at it. But society has that thing of, you have to do college. I went to college for international business. But I craved the creative side. I had a regular job, and I did nails on the side for a very long time. The turning point for me was when my son was born 13 years ago. When that happened, a lot of things shifted.
As you were coming up, was there anyone that you looked to as a professional role model?
Unfortunately, no, because within the nail community, there’s not a lot of people that look like us, you know, either Latinos or Black. I didn’t really have anybody necessarily, but I think that’s what pushed me. So as I was doing it, I made it a point of bringing people along with me.
So how did you learn the business side?
There was a lot of trial and error, definitely made a lot of mistakes. There were people that helped me. Most of my family is self-employed, so that helped.
It’s so important to get help with the business.
Yeah. I definitely want to give a shout-out to Shopify. Everything is so seamless. And also, a lot of business right now is social media, you know, influencers. They have this tool: Shopify Collabs. It’s kind of like a directory, and that has made it so much easier. With Shopify, it’s like a one-stop shop. It’s a new way of doing business.
Aside from the technical aspects, what skills do you think are necessary for someone to succeed in this industry?
You definitely have to have social skills. People are going to be sitting with you for hours. And you also have to be adaptable. If you want to do the celebrities, the shoots, and all that, a lot of things are so last minute. It’s gonna switch up on you, you know. So I think definitely one of the biggest things is adaptability and flexibility.
What’s your best advice for other women of color who want to reach the success that you have?
Keep going. I definitely have failed a few times. Don’t listen to other people if they want to deter you. When I decided to do this, it was kind of looked down on. I remember people saying stuff like, “What are you going to do when you have a real job?” I’m like, this is a real job. So don’t listen to the haters and if you fail, just try it again.
If you’re in New York City and ready to immerse yourself in the very pink world of Pink Friday Nails, the pop-up runs through Sunday, October 13th, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Shopify NY, 131 Greene Street, New York, New York.