South Korean nail artist Unistella’s Park Eunkyung has been the top influencer in her arena forever it seems, even though the creative force behind the viral nail styles is just 35. Maybe it’s just that Internet time (and fashion time) moves so fast. It was way back in 2015-16 when Unistella rocked the staid nail art world with her “shattered glass” nails. Since then her widely imitated Seoul-based aesthetic has been recognized and saluted as Nail OG: Park Eunkyung is the original gangster of the nail art scene. So, at least, is the testimony of legions of Unistella fans on Instagram and fashion arbiters like Barneys.
Now she’s moving past acrylic to a marriage of pure sculpture with functional design. Unistella is showing nail rings, sculptural creations affixed to the nails that Giacometti or Calder might have loved. Park’s quote at Barneys The Window, where she’s featured, reads: “The world’s best nail artists work here. We create completely different designs from anything you’ve seen—surprising you each visit.” She should know: her signature designs changed the nail fashionscape. Or the fashion nailscape. Or, well you know. The work is so innovative there aren’t even very many imitations retailing online yet: a search at Amazon for nail jewelry turns up little like it.
Here’s a killer video that demonstrates Unistella’s super-fabulous creation. Some other examples from Park Eunkyung’s lively Instagram account follow.
