STYLE FILE

The good & the glamorous

JESS WATTS gets to know the fashion graduate whose final project, inspired by the Wizard of Oz, incorporated 5,000 false nails

The good, the bad and the glamorous’ is the title of Demitris Zacharia’s final major project for his BA(Hons) Fashion Design degree. The University of the Creative Arts graduate used false nails in unusual and innovative ways to create fashion-forward masterpieces, focused around witchcraft and wizardry.

Demitris Zacharia

“I wanted to take the themes in a fresh, theatrical direction for my clothing creations,” Demitris explains. “The project was inspired by the various portrayals of Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film and the Broadway show, Wicked. I drew on the musical’s famous line: ‘pink goes good with green’.”

Demitris’ fashion collection also takes inspiration from a petal motif seen on Glinda’s Broadway bubble dress, designed by Susan Hilferty: the floral silhouette of which was inspired by the 1949 House of Dior Junon gown. “Susan’s ability to merge theatrical fantasy with rich, historical references influenced how I approach my designs,” Demitris shares. He notes that, upon researching early Dior collections that inspired Susan, he was ‘fascinated by the elegance, structure and craftsmanship’, and wanted to bring that same sense of refinement into his garments.

The graduate reveals that his collection also has ‘early 2000s pop culture influences from celebrities like Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige, encompassing their confidence, bold styling choices and unapologetic glamour’. “The project allowed me to combine theatrical storytelling, historical costume references and playful pop culture nods in a cohesive collection,” Demitris comments. “It feels theatrical and nostalgic, yet playful, modern and deeply personal.”

Why false nails?

To add a ‘unique and witchy edge’, Demitris hand-applied over 5,000 stiletto nail tips to his garments and accessories, in pink, green and glittery hues. “When researching stereotypical imagery of witches, I noticed a recurring detail: they almost always have long, pointed fingernails,” he explains. “They’re exaggerated, almost claw-like, and they instantly communicate danger, strength and a kind of untouchable glamour.

“It’s a small feature, but it instantly conveys a sense of mystique, and I wanted to take that iconic element and reinterpret it in a high-fashion context. Using thousands of false painted nails as embellishments allowed me to reference the signature ‘witchy’ style, while exploring a different way to decorate a garment.”

Demitris notes that the addition of the false nails added ‘a textural quality – catching the light, creating movement and giving the pieces a tactile, armour-like surface, turning something playful and unexpected into a bold, couture-inspired detail’.

“The project allowed me to combine theatrical storytelling, historical costume references and playful pop culture nods in a cohesive collection.”

“Traditionally, false nails are seen as beauty accessories: decorative, removable and often tied to trends,” Demitris recognises. “I wanted to push them beyond this portrayal and turn them into storytelling devices. By taking nails out of their usual context and incorporating them directly into the garments, they became part of the narrative rather than add-ons.”

Demitris acknowledges that his collection challenges certain norms within fashion and beauty, commenting: “False nails are often dismissed as superficial or ‘low’ in fashion hierarchy, yet they hold deep cultural meaning for many as a form of self-expression, identity and empowerment. By recontextualising them as couture-level embellishments, I wanted to question those value judgments and show that unconventional materials can be just as beautiful, powerful and worthy of celebration as traditional ones.”

Demitris says that his use of false nails was not only culturally significant, but a nod to his personal life. “I grew up working in a hair and beauty salon owned by my mother, so from a young age I was surrounded by people getting their nails >>

done,” Demitris reminisces. “I was always fascinated by how much importance people placed on them – not just as a beauty ritual, but as a way of expressing their individuality and creative identities. Nails can be bold, subtle, elegant or fierce, and they tell a story about the person wearing them. Bringing that world into my collection felt like a natural extension of my upbringing, while tying perfectly into the project’s themes of witchcraft, power and transformation.”

“The process taught me that high fashion can embrace materials and motifs often dismissed as kitsch or overly commercial, and elevate them into something powerful and luxurious.”

Defying gravity

One of the biggest challenges Demitris faced during the project was attaching the nails to the garments. “False nails aren’t designed for fabric, so I had to adapt them for sewing,” he shares. “I ended up creating two small holes in each nail: one at the top and one at the bottom, so I could hand-sew them individually onto the garments. This meant thousands of nails, sewn on one by one, which was incredibly time-consuming and quite fiddly.”

Placement of the nails was another challenge. “Nails are highly tactile and catch the light, and if positioned awkwardly, they could disrupt the flow of the garment or clash with the body’s natural curves,” Demitris explains. “I had to be very intentional with where each one sat, ensuring they enhanced the silhouette rather than distracted from it. It was a meticulous process, but by treating the nails almost like beads or sequins in terms of precision, I was able to integrate them within each design.”

Demitris chose to hand-paint the nails, spending hours methodically colouring each enhancement. “This gave me more control over the colour, finish and detail than mass-painting ever could,” Demitris explains. “My collection exclusively used shades of pink and green, but within that I wanted a rich variety – different tones, levels of shimmer, glitter accents and subtle variations that would catch the light differently from every angle. By painting each nail individually, I ensured the colours were perfectly balanced and tailored to each garment. This also made the nails feel more like couture embellishments, rather than mass-produced decorations. The hands-on process allowed me to treat each nail as a design element, ensuring the overall effect was refined, intentional and harmonious with the collection.”

The future of fashion

‘The good, the bad and the glamorous’ is a bold commentary on what high fashion can involve. Demitris uses nails not only as an accessory, but to tell a story. He says: “By embedding them into the structure and surface of the garments, the nails stopped being a fleeting accessory and instead became integral to the designs, helping to tell tales about identity, transformation and theatrical beauty.

“The process taught me that high fashion can embrace materials and motifs often dismissed as kitsch or overly commercial, and elevate them into something powerful and luxurious.”

Looking to the future, Demitris shares: “I want to keep exploring the possibilities of working with false nails in fashion. They’ve become such a distinctive part of my creative language, and I think there’s more to experiment with in terms of texture, pattern and storytelling. Merging them with clothing has opened up a new way for me to think about surface design.

“By taking nails out of their usual context and incorporating them directly into the garments, they became part of the narrative rather than add-ons.”

“I also hope the future holds the opportunity to grow my own brand,” Demitris continues. “I want to build a label that’s instantly recognisable for its creativity, boldness and willingness to take risks. Pushing boundaries will always be central to my work – whether that’s through unconventional materials, unexpected cultural references or fresh ways of telling stories through clothing.”

IMAGE CREDITS

Designer/stylist: Demitris Zacharia @demitriszacharia.fashionPhotographer: Amy Osborne @_amyosborne Make-up & hair stylist: Millie Phillips @millie_makeup4 Models: Risa Harrold @_risaharrold Temi Akinyede @misstemiakin Nomeda Eleonora Cetkauskaite @cetkauskaite Wing Lai @aiin92e