Nailympia London - 3rd, 4th & 5th October 2015 - @ Olympia Beauty
2014 saw the biggest arena in Europe, the most competition seats taken, 32 countries and a vibe of nail joy for three long days…welcome to the 10th edition Nailympia London.
Alex Fox reports
To be part of this industry is a sincerely fulfilling and exciting journey for any of us that truly feel its vibe. I’m proud to say I not only feel the vibe, but also swim in its rhythm and colour. As editor of Scratch magazine my cup is forever overflowing – my most favoured pastimes are realised – communicating with interesting people all day long as well as playing with words and pictures – it’s a dream job for sure.
My dream job took on a new element when I was given permission to bring the Nailympia concept to Europe back in 2005. It was a whole new nail project and one that I grabbed with both hands and held on tight. It’s been a glorious journey for me - running the Nailympia London competition for 10 episodes – partnering with Janine, watching the judging panel expand year on year and watch the arena get bigger and better. Therefore it was an extremely emotional and sensational event that we staged this year – as the 10th anniversary saw the largest judging panel we’ve experienced – it most certainly was the most experienced, eclectic and amazing panel I’ve seen anywhere in the world- please correct me if I’m wrong- but I do believe there has never been this many industry icons on one stage at any other time across the world - all working together – in unison for the greater good - to arbitrate and oversee an arena housing nail professionals from 32 different nail nations.
Yes, it was a seriously emotional yet awe-inspiring weekend; it was one for the family album.
With early bird entry fees opening for registration back in springtime, nail professionals were signing up early this year and it was clear by July that the 10th edition was going to be popular. However, I never anticipated 654 competition seats over the 10 categories. Again this makes Nailympia London the largest nail competition across Europe and America – I believe the largest outside of Asia. This is a huge accolade for this competition – it’s reputation and most importantly its mission.
Celebrating 10 years of competition with an international flavour, it was important that the categories continue to reflect industry trends and it was a huge coup for the event to have the support of Gareth Pugh, British fashion designer, who not only briefed the Runway Nails category but also came to the arena and judged the entries before heading out to Paris Fashion Week just a few hours later. A most thoughtful and charming gentleman, who asked nothing in return, Gareth Pugh will never fully know what it meant to the nail industry to have his acknowledgement, attention and his time – it was a career milestone for me to see how this industry has moved upwards and onwards from when I first arrived over 16 years ago. I still remember being asked why the beauty industry needed a nail magazine. Now those were the days.
And so we bring the 10th anniversary Nailympia to a close with 13 trophies delivered to their rightful accomplished winners and over 120 medals hanging proudly in salons across the world; I sigh a huge breath of satisfaction and look forward with a smile to number 11. See you at Nailympia London next October.
With London recognised as the competition’s UK and international home, organisers are now looking to further expand its accessibility around the globe, with a view to unearthing the growing pool of world class talent. Opportunities are being explored to stage the Nailympia competition in other key regions and countries, with discussions being at an advanced stage with prospective partners in South Africa and the Middle East.
Nailympia Australia will be held 22-23 August 2015 - at Sydney Exhibition Centre, Glebe Island, Sydney - www.internationalbeautyexpo.com.au