“I THINK IT’S HUMAN NATURE FOR PEOPLE TO WANT TO ADORN THEMSELVES IN DIFFERENT WAYS. WHAT’S INTERESTING IS THAT OVER TIME, WE REALIZE THERE ARE REALLY ONLY CER- TAIN WAYS YOU CAN ADORN YOURSELF AND NAILS ARE A SIM- PLE WAY TO DO THAT.”
She suggested that we meet at a local coffee shop, and as an existential twenty-something, I was delighted. The first thing I noticed about her was the “F*CK YOU” sweater and Hello Kitty sneakers that she proudly donned. This is my type of woman, I thought to myself, dismissing any doubt that she would be anything less than what I had hoped. I commented on her necklace, which resembled the stars found on the American flag. She revealed to me that according to family lore, she was related to Betsy Ross. “REALLY!?” I blurted out before I could tell myself not to. She smiled modestly and nodded as she looked down, making it apparent that I was not the first person to have displayed excitement over this revelation. Prior to meeting Veleta Vancza, I knew that she was an accomplished artist and metalworker; but what was most enticing to me was that she had taken advantage of a vacancy in a seemingly saturated market. Combining her background of metalsmithing and an appreciation for self-adornment, she created MINE luxury nail lacquer: a variety of nail polishes made from precious metals. OLIVIA HANNA: FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN SUCH AN INTEREST IN THE WAY THAT THEY DIS- PLAY THEIR NAILS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? Veleta Vancza: People inherently want to accessorize. I think it’s human nature for people to want to adorn themselves in different ways. I think it’s human nature for people to want to adorn themselves in different ways. What’s interesting is that over time, we realize there are really only certain ways you can adorn yourself and nails are a simple way to do that.. They’re like little canvases, and I think people have always been drawn to that. OH: WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE NAIL TREND? VV: Male polish. I love the way that it’s become more mainstream for men to have painted nails. My brother is a great example. He’s sort of a bro, he owns a bar, and wears sports jerseys all the time. But he paints his nails, which is awesome. I just think it’s great that it’s becoming less gender specific. For my business, I always wanted to remain gender
neutral as a company. In our promotional ads, I try to use men as much as possible. That’s been easy because even a guy that’s resistant to getting their nails painted gets excited when they hear that it is pure gold. I think everyone is just intrigued by precious material. Also, I do love 3D nails that were pioneered in Japan—I love crazy sculptural nails that are not utilitarian or practical, but a cool art form. OH: EVERYTHING - FROM THE QUALITY OF MINE LUXURY NAIL LACQUER, ITS PACKAGING, AND THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF THE PRODUCT - SHOWS THAT A LOT OF THOUGHT AND DEVOTION WAS PUT INTO IT. HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST IN NAILS? VV: No. I work with my hands and even my hands now are all cracked. When I’m doing things, my nails are always chipped so I never got into nail polish. However, when I started working on the product I realized that I needed to learn about nail polish and what makes nail polish desirable to other people, as well as what makes it desirable for a manicurist. It was part of the research process for me to figure out why people are so into nails. I worked in spas for a while to understand and one of the things I love about nails is that it’s something anybody can do to make themselves feel better. When you give somebody
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