Mei Kawajiri is known for outré, over-the-top nail art; call it a kaleidoscope for the fingertips. Her Instagram page @nailsbymei is filled with an illustrious collection of talon art: three-inch tips showing detailed portraits of anime heroines; nails-turned-canvases for cheerful flowers; tricked-out six-inch acrylics embedded with bits of lace and blinding gems called “lingerie nails”; and highlighter-yellow bubble sculptures. A master experimenter, Kawajiri once attached a colorful charging cord on her nail that she plugged into her iPhone. Her larger-than-life approach has attracted Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Rosalía, and Seth Rogen as clients.
The cuticle genius has an equally outlandish approach to personal style. Her look, like her nails, is a fun conversation starter. In her closet, you’ll find hot pink sweatpants printed with a cartoon middle finger, a slick black pleather dress with pink fur trim by the label Like a Drugg, a fabulous curly fur bomber jacket, and a cheeky plaid dress by Heavn. Her going-out style is dark-lord-meets-princess: Think tulle ball skirts by Comme des Garçons, and remixed school girl dresses by Noir Kei Ninomiya. “I can play with fashion and nails together, and fashion, for me, expresses my mood,” she says,
Kawajiri constantly needs to change her look. In fact, her desire to transform was what made her pursue nail art instead of a career in tattooing. “I get bored quickly,” she says. “Every time I buy [something] and I wear it for one month. I want to change.” After all, Kawajiri grew up in Japan, the cutting-edge, bustling fashion hub. “I went to Harajuku to buy Hysteric Glamour and everyone had a crazy haircut!” she reminisces. “I tried a different style at every age.” Her inspirations are anime and kawaii style. Her personal style icon is the blue-haired, panda-suit-wearing heroine Yuma from the series Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear.
Standing at 5’1”, Kawajiri likes to play with proportions and favors pieces by Comme des Garçons. “I love the heaviness and different kinds of materials and fabric,” she says about the Japanese label. “I also love men’s clothes from Balenciaga. It’s huge and I’m little. I like that balance.” Also on her must-have lists are pieces from Miu Miu and younger generation designers like Ashley Williams.
While many people’s ensemble might hinge on the right shoe or bag, Kawajiri’s main accessory are her nails. She treats them as if they were a piece of sentimental jewelry, and without them she feels naked. Fun fact: She refuses to wear rings. “It just doesn’t make sense!” she says. No, the fingertips are the center of her look. “I always want something extreme in my body. Some people have a crazy tattoo or crazy makeup or crazy body shape, but I don’t have any of those,” she says. “I’m pretty normal and then I just find that a nail is a place where I create something crazy and extreme.”
In her shoot with Vogue, Kawajiri opted for a Comme des Garçons black jumper, a calm backdrop for her nails which were tacked with foot-long swathes of red hair. For continuity, Kawajiri wore a pair of Tabi platform sandals which she affixed the same handfuls of hair to. “The nail is the last thing for me to become myself,” she says. Ultimately, Kawajiri’s philosophy comes down to one thing, or in her case, 10.
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Liana SatensteinCredit
Lead Image: @nailsbymei via Instagram
