EDITOR'S LETTER

The nail industry has long been celebrated for its ability to empower individuals through self-expression. However, as it continues to evolve, it’s essential that we embrace a broad, inclusive vision: one that welcomes everyone, regardless of gender identity, location or background, to embrace the creative space.

This issue, we shine a spotlight on male and trans nail techs, who speak candidly about the challenges they’ve faced during their careers. They share their views on whether enough is being done to combat stigmas in the sector, and detail their hopes for its future. The inclusion of real voices and experiences within our pages is important to us, so that all members of the industry feel seen, respected and celebrated, and others are aware of circumstances outside of their own nail spaces.

Immerse in interviews with brand ambassadors, educators, award-winners, salon owners and session stylists this edition, as they share their stories, achievements and advice. Also, explore nail works from nail pros worldwide, as our pages feature the results of recent nail competitions. Scratch is intent on raising the profiles of techs and the nail industry through contests, and our sister brand, Nailympia, celebrated 20 years of its London iteration last month. The event concluded the 2024 year of Nailympia competitions, celebrating technical and artistic prowess worldwide, and you can enjoy the winning online entries from page 62. What’s more, we share the submissions from the first challenge in season one of North America’s Star Nail Artist from page 30. We launched the contest in July to champion creativity and support skill-building, and entries demonstrate a broad range of talent and imaginative concepts that we are delighted to showcase.

Our platforms are for everyone who works in the nail industry: to inspire, engage, educate and inform. We are part of a vibrant global community, and we want to ensure that it’s fairly represented, so please get in touch if you’d like to share your story or raise awareness of a circumstance.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Helena Biggs Editorial & partnerships director +44(0)1959 547 000 helena.biggs@scratchmagazine.co.uk