The Artists That “Nail” Your Faves’ Nail Art
Photos , from left: LISA official Instagram, aespa Official X, and XG Official X
Idols’ makeup styles, clothing styles, and hairstyles tend to dominate discussions when new concept photos are released. Another way idols accessorize is at their fingertips: nail art has given artists more ways to visualize the story behind their music. While there are many nail artists working with K-Pop idols, allow this week’s Ladies Corner to highlight a few of the individuals crafting narratives with their nail creations.
Park Eunkyung
Celebrity nail artist Park Eunkyung–better known as Unistella– has built a reputation as one of the best in the business. Park opened her shop Unistella Studio in 2014 and is now in charge of upcoming nail jewelry brand Wear Unistella. She has spent many years creating nail trends and custom nail designs for many prominent stars.
Her clientele has ranged from Lee Hyori, CL, Girls’ Generation, and BLACKPINK, but she has also worked with male artists as well. G-DRAGON’s long-awaited comeback with his album Übermenschcame with the rapper’s unique and iconic fashion style: when he promoted his music, he had nails perfectly tailored to represent the concept. Park believes that everyone, regardless of gender, can enjoy expressing themselves through nail art. “I’m extremely interested in working on men’s nails,” Park told Rolling Stone India in 2022. “I firmly believe that nail art is not just for women, neither is it an emblem of femininity. Everyone deserves to get their nails done and be happy.”
Woo Sumi
Woo Sumi (known as @breathnailz on Instagram) frequently collaborates with SM Entertainment artists such as Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet, and aespa. She also has worked with the likes of IVE, ILLIT, and NewJeans. Woo’s work ranges from cute, anime-like nails for IVE’s “REBEL HEART” to the dark, metallic, and twisted aesthetic of nail art for aespa’s “Armageddon.”
Woo takes inspiration from concept photos, album themes, and artists’ outfits to cater nail designs to each member. “I find the most important thing about nails is that they blend seamlessly with an outfit, so I’m most often referencing the outfits in the proposals I’m given,” Woo told Weverse Magazine last year. “Ningning’s proposal made me think of a big, rocky mountain, so I designed her nails for the “Armageddon” teaser images to be reminiscent of boulders and rocks.”
You Seunghwi
KATSEYE’s “Gnarly” created a lot of buzz when it came out. While the discourse about the hyperpop song consumed the thoughts of fans, nail artist You Seunghwi made sure viewers’ eyes also focused on the members’ gnarly (positive) nails. The nails commit to the food theme of “Gnarly” with little trinkets of various foods like coffee, donuts, and pizza.
You has also tailored nail designs for Japanese global group XG. Many of XG’s music videos feature a futuristic concept, but the nails often combine a nature-inspired look. In “HOWLING,” member Harvey shoots a bullet from a flower growing from vines wrapped around her fingers. As seen in other looks for “TGIF,” “GRL GVNG,” and “WOKE UP,” many of the nails seem inspired by plantlife, sealife, and even monsters.
Edited by Clark Royandoyan