Dive Brief:
- Rap artist Nicki Minaj launched DTC press-on nail brand Pink Friday Nails, coinciding with her Pink Friday 2 world concert tour that kicked off March 1.
- Pink Friday Nails claims to be the first press-on nail brand that allows customers to customize the shape and length of each nail design. The products come in stiletto, coffin, square and almond shapes and short, medium, long, XL and XXL lengths, according to a Friday press release.
- The 11 designs, which were created by Minaj’s nail designer, Yvett G., are based on authentic styles worn by Minaj, including one she wore during the MTV Video Music Awards. Pink Friday Nails are available to purchase on the brand’s website and are priced from $19.99 to $24.99.
Dive Insight:
Minaj spent more than a year developing Pink Friday Nails, which the company says are vegan and cruelty free. The brand seeks to disrupt the nail press-on market by offering professionally designed nails that are moderately priced.
"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, founder of Pink Friday Nails, 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 because our customers aren't stupid.”
Pink Friday Nails is another in a long list of celebrity-backed brands to launch in the past few years. Among them are Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty and Fenty Beauty brands, Kim Kardashian’s Skims and Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie hair care brand.
Celebrity-backed brands are becoming increasingly popular: nearly 60% of celebrity retail brands were founded in the last six years, according to a report last year from JLL. And 53% of celebrity brands are in the beauty category, per the report.
Similar to other global celebrities, Minaj reaches an enormous base of followers and potential customers through her social media platforms. Her Instagram account has some 229 million followers. She also has over 20 million followers on TikTok. The Pink Friday Nails Instagram page has quickly surpassed 98,000 followers.
