A celebration of CND™’s 40th anniversary – By Marian Newman

Imagine my excitement to be invited to the ‘event of the year’; an exhibition at San Diego’s Oceanside Museum of Art that celebrates 40 years of CND™. It focused on an amazing 40 years of record breaking innovation in the professional nail industry.

Backtrack over 30 years…

I was new to the nail industry in the late 80’s and was fortunate to have discovered Creative Nail Design (as it was then). I joined the current distributor as an educational sales consultant (now known as an education ambassador) and, very soon after, the distributor changed to Designer Nails run by Gigi and Simon Rouse (Samantha Sweet’s parents). It was small but ‘select’ and that early team still remains good friends today. An historical fact is that Gigi held her first ESC’s ‘Boot Camp’ in the salon I co-owned in Hertford.

‘Boot camps’ are an intrinsic part of CND™’s professional ethic. You do not become an educator until you have proved to be the best there is. They are hard, strict and very challenging. Not everyone makes it.

The whole ethos makes for a very proud team that is loyal and skilled in all aspects as the company doesn’t just teach nail skills.

It teaches a deep theoretical understanding of the chemistry and other qualities such as teaching and presentation skills. This was all added to for me by being invited to an International Boot Camp in California around 1990. Wow – and was I challenged. It was there that I met some international ‘nail stars’; Doug Schoon and the whole Nordstrom family (the founders of CND™).

I can honestly say that I would not be the nail professional I am today without this grounding, approach and education. It’s a long time since I was that young ESC, but I’ve never lost touch and have been a global brand ambassador for the last three years.

Fast forward to 2019…

I was honoured to be named as one of the featured international nail artists and I also provided sound bites that were shown on a clever touch screen. I was in great company; one of just 26. Samuel Sweet was also one of them. He used to be a nail pro and was part of Team CND™, an elite global team representing CND™ at the highest level.

No one was left out though. Every EA from around the world was represented on the ‘wall’. Pictures of ‘the wall’ have been posted and so many have spotted their faces and been so proud to be a part of the exhibition.

The nail artistry of CND™’s 40 years was brought together in an astonishing and very moving exhibition. The launch event was held on a warm evening at the Oceanside Museum of Art and we were treated to special cocktails before a personalised tour of the exhibit. Oh my goodness. Where do I start? The pictures below show a small part of just how amazing this experience was! I want to go back and study it properly as I was caught up in an emotional whirlwind of seeing old friends, recognising nail designs, images, outfits and information that was so familiar to me.

At the end of the presentation, Jan Arnold (co-founder of CND™) gave a very emotional speech. There were lots of tears and happy memories. Part of her speech is here but much of it was spoken from her heart and cannot be replicated.

The evening culminated in a fabulous dinner and dancing. I was sitting with Jan and her family, Gillian Gorman-Round, the new general manager of CND™, The Sweets and Sheila Wiggins (who some of the old timers remember as Jan’s English PA of so many years). What company, what fun, what truly amazing people! An experience to be remembered and treasured forever.

Of course, any CND™ party would not be complete without Jan and her team on the dance floor ‘getting down and dirty’! It was fabulous.

The exhibition moves to Bologna in February ’20 and then across to other cities. I sincerely hope it will visit London and, if it does, it is a ‘must visit’ for every nail professional and their clients to see what our industry is really all about. Innovation, excellence, nail artistry and all that is good. And we need a big dose of that right now!

OVER TO JAN ARNOLD… 40^th Anniversary Address, 10 October 2019

“Tonight, we are here to celebrate a very special anniversary … a RUBY anniversary that represents 40 years of building a brand that is much more than product or profit.

“This gem was built on science, designed to meet a need that would empower the user to deliver excellence with intelligence.

“This gem was built in service to the nail professional, who is in CND™’s opinion, the most powerful of all professionals.

“Think about what it takes to be great: with left-brained precision to accurately place product perfectly on the nail, avoiding the treacherous invasion of the folds on either side, which could ruin everything if touched. Then, there’s the right-brain requirement for creativity, artistry, imagination, and caring touch.

“Holding the client’s hand, looking at them in the eye. The honesty and trust are like no other. Their influence and power are extraordinary.

“At the founding of CND™, our father, Dr. SS Nordstrom, instilled in us a legacy of respect and admiration for the nail professional. They are our guiding light and inspiration for everything we do: Listen to them, exceed their expectations, learn from them and service their needs with passion and love.

“With this vision, we as a team…a bonded group of people united by a shared philosophy, went out and together, advanced the state of the industry!

“We did this through:

• Innovation – with breakthrough science and industry changing products
• Education – basing techniques and protocol on sound facts to empower the PRO to charge what they’re worth to live their dreams.
• BOLD Creativity and imagination – always unique.

And the result was wild success… and wild fun. Oh, the parties! You can only let yourself open when Trust & Shared Values exist. That’s CND™.

CND™ is you. And without you, CND™ would not exist. Thank you to all of you, for your love and dedication to this sparkling gem.

“In particular, I’d like to thank:

• My family and fellow pioneers: Jim, Tom, David, Ann and Katie
• Our long-time trusted colleagues
• Our long-time and passionate friends
• And to all nail pros who are a never-ending source of inspiration

“And for our dream realised, with Tiny Canvases: The Art of Nails Exhibit, much thanks to:

• OMA executive director Maria Minglione for believing in us.
• Museum curator: Rhonda Gawthrop
• Our talented creative services team: Lisa, Narisa, Paul & Scott
• Our partners, stylists, photographer and collaborators
• All of the amazing artists, who take our breath away with their passion and artistry ….and Shelena Robinson at the helm!
• &… most importantly, to our co-curator Brigitte Mahnke. Without her vision, leadership and hard work, this dream would not be a reality.”