Shoreditch Nails' Tina Michael on Fall Nail Trends, Sharpie Collabs and Gel's Evolution
We speak to the founder of London’s buzziest nail salon.
If Shoreditch Nails isn’t already on your Fall/Winter 2024 Pinterest board, it’s about to be. The cutesy and demure London-based salon was founded in 2017 and in the last seven years, has become a nail staple amongst fashion fans all over London thanks to its talented nail artists, buzzy designs and distinctive aesthetics.
When Shoreditch Nails first opened, the concept of a gel manicure was a pretty alien one, so it’s safe to say the salon has seen a lot of changes in the industry over the years. “When Shellac launched, that was a major turning point for us,” founder Tina Michael tells Hypebae.
“I think that was like the biggest innovation that happened at the time and now that’s evolved too and there’s builder gel and BIAB and that’s really changed the way that our clients get their nails done,” she adds. With changing techniques come changing trends, and the evolution of nail art is something that the salon has since become an expert in.
As a result, we caught up with Michael to get the full story behind Shoreditch Nails and some FW24 trend predictions for our new season nails.
Scroll down to read the full interview.
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How did you decide to start Shoreditch Nails? Tell me a bit about that process.
I started doing my own nails in my late 20s. I studied Fashion Journalism at uni, and I had a couple of different jobs, then I decided that I wanted to learn a trade and eventually start my own brand. I loved doing my own nails, so that felt like the obvious choice for me. That was about 14 years ago. I started at another business on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. I couldn’t really have my own brand identity at that point, but I built up a good client base in the area, and then in 2017, I made the decision to launch Shoreditch Nails. It started with a little workshop on Boundary Street and it’s grown from there.
Why Shoreditch?
So I’m actually from North London. I went to uni in Surrey and still, my friends and I were just always in East London. We were always there for gallery openings and events and it’s such a creative place, it was always the first choice for me.
Definitely. Shoreditch Nails has been around for a while now, how have you seen the nail industry change since you started?
When I was studying nails and practicing manicures and pedicures, gel didn’t exist. So when Shellac launched, that was a major turning point for us. I think that was like the biggest innovation that happened at the time and now that’s evolved too and there’s builder gel and BIAB and that’s really changed the way that our clients get their nails done. Those who would have maybe had acrylics before, are now having BIAB and they’re growing their natural nails instead.
Nail art back then was big in a different way too. WAH Nails was around then and they were kind of leading the charge at first. We started doing really simple nail art like dots and half moons and again, now there are so many different tools and products that we can use. I feel like our community is experimenting more as well.
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Yeah, there are so many more options now! How do you keep up with the changing trends?
Usually, we see things on Instagram. That’s another way that our business has changed so much. When we launched, Instagram didn’t really exist, so now we have that tool to help us grow our community, and also to look at trends. We’ll just try things out and the team is really amazing for creating and being on top of trends. If they see something or they want to try something, we just let them be creative and go for it.
That really is the best way. And for you, what’s your go-to manicure?
I rarely have nail art on my nails. I like a minimal manicure so I normally go for a nude-y pink or an iridescent pink. Sometimes I’ll go for a colored French or a simple dot. And at the moment, we just had a launch party for a fruit and veg nail art menu that we’re doing, so right now I’ve got tomatoes!
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It’s still a tomato-girl summer! We love to see it. Though, we’re not far from the Fall/Winter season now. What are some of the trends that you think will be big for FW24?
Around that time of year, metallics are really popular. Lots of gold and silver and chrome, and a mix of block color, french tips and 3d Chrome. Chrome was really big last season and you can do so much more with it now, we’re experimenting with different colors and 3D shapes and focusing more on creating designs with it that are a bit more intricate. Then, there are the classics: shades of brown, pointy matte black nails and of course — red.
The 3D Chrome is still on my list to try! Let’s talk a bit about collaboration. You’ve teamed up with brands like House of Sunny and Stine Goya in the past, what does the concept of collaboration mean to you? What does a collaboration with Shoreditch Nails look like?
Since we launched, it’s been really important to me that we collaborate, especially with smaller businesses in our community. When we first started, we did collaborations with brands who started in Shoreditch around the same time, like Frame, and smaller brands who were doing really fun things like Ganni and Stine Goya. For me, the criteria are like-minded brands that use color in a fun way, as well as share our views on the sustainability side of things. We’ve got our own eco-friendly nail polish, for example, and so look for brands with a similar ethos to us.
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Is there anyone on your dream collaborations list who you’ve not worked with before?
A bit random, but I’d love to work with Sharpie.
You know, I can see that for you… Finally, what do you envisage for the future of Shoreditch Nails?
Our academy is something that’s really important for me. I launched that in 2019 because I saw a gap for somewhere where you could train in manicures and pedicures that also offered a salon environment. I wanted to create a really inclusive space that allowed everyone to be really creative and support each other. We employ people directly from the academy, they all have the option to interview with us and then if we take them on, we carry on their training in-house.
We have an in-house educator who helps with training and these artists go from not being able to do any of it, to creating the most amazing nail art in the space of just two years. It’s been really rewarding for me to see that progression. So the short answer there is, that’s where I really want to grow. I’d love to have different courses and make it more accessible.
