Mei Kawajiri is a renowned nail artist who creates extravagant nail art for celebrities and collaborating with brands. She works from her combined home office in the Lower East Side and is popular on Instagram with around 343,000 followers. Kawajiri has come a long way from opening her studio in Harajuku, Tokyo at 23, to traveling to New York to pursue her passion for nails. Despite her lack of English, she managed to create a career for herself and now works with A-list clients for events like the Met Gala and the Academy Awards. Her schedule includes hotel visits to celebrities, photo shoots for brands, runway shows, and appointments with regular clients. Kawajiri finds inspiration in everyday life, such as creating 3-D croissant nails because she struggled to pronounce the word. She emphasizes the importance of nails as a form of self-expression and thinks that it’s a powerful way to make people feel confident.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/style/mei-kawajiri-nails.html