Meet the creative director of Skullen Collective, a nail brand with an edge
By Emma Hobday | 27 July 2021 | Brands, Feature
Scratch talks to Nicole Gutierrez-Lock of Skullen Collective about her exciting nail product line…
Nicole launched her nail business Skullen Collective in 2013 to enable her to have an effective work life balance. She holds the role of lead artist and creative director at Skullen Collective, based in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Nicole is a fan of nail artistry and sought to introduce products that offered longevity. “As nail art can sometimes be a lengthy process, I was keen to find products that made appointments as quick and effective as possible, but to also ensure that nails are still affordable,” Nicole comments. “Lockdown provided a perfect opportunity to experiment, research and design.”
The first product Nicole launched was MARK-UP, a quick drying, smudge free, acrylic paint pen, available in 12 colours. It makes line work, dot work and calligraphy easy and effective. “MARK UP also eliminates the need for multiple brushes, waste from unused gel and lengthy clean ups, and has sold out three times over,” Nicole adds. SKIN-UP was then added to the line which incorporates 12 nude shades, and INKED-UP consists of blooming ink in six colours, which can be layered with other products to produce unique results.
The brand’s USP is to first and foremost promote a safe space for women. “We believe we play an essential role in helping women reclaim their right to safety and security, and to live their lives as they see fit. We empower and are empowered by our clients, regardless of age or gender,” Nicole comments. “We are feminists in the most modern sense, and our whole identity has and continues to be shaped by the inspirational women we work with day to day.”
Nicole has exciting plans for the brand’s future and is thrilled to be launching her own store in September. “We will be encouraging nail artists to come and try out our products in store and order our range. We are working on many more goodies, including LINE-UP; a highly pigmented gel polish with a precision liner brush included in the bottle. We also produce our own cuticle oils, and will be offering a bespoke service to other studios to provide and sell a signature oil or balm to their own clients.”