Brazil Hosts Nail Fashion Week

             

The mini catwalk was especially designed to showcase the latest trends of nail varnish, a top-selling fashion accessory in many parts of the globe. 

 

Organizers expect nearly 5 thousand people to visit the two-day fair, which cost some 1.8 million U.S. dollars.  

             

Celebrities, nail artists and nail polish lovers flocked to the event, which is the first of its kind.    

          

Brazilian women have become the world's biggest nail polish consumers.  

                       

The event's head organizer Adrianne Elias, says the industry grew so much over the past years that they decided to promote a fashion event just for nail color. 

 

[Adrianne Elias, Event Organizer]:             

"Brazil is the world's biggest nail varnish consumer in terms of volume, and is only behind the United States in terms  of profits. So Brazilian women have strongly embraced nail polish fashion and this is why we have so many new releases, so many innovations and so many new collections."

              

Every visitors got the chance to get a manicure for free with the latest color trends.

              

After watching the parades by nail varnish companies, including U.S. firm OPI, the visitors were able to get a morale boost.    

          

Alice Meirelles, a 25-year-old business student who runs a nail polish blog, said many Brazilians were more into nail color than clothes.   

 

[Alice Meirelles, Nail Polish Blogger and Business Student]: 

"Nail varnish is a part of everything today because we change our nail colour like we change clothes. I buy more nail varnish than I buy clothes nowadays."

        

Nail polish is still a small sub-sector of the global beauty industry compared to other make-up items such as lipstick.

 

But analysts say it's on its way to becoming almost as big a business. 

            

In fact, nail bars in Brazil have become hugely popular among all classes over the past decade. 

 

Prices vary between 5 and 35 dollars, but could cost more for fancy nail designs that go beyond the simple polish.  

            

Hair dresser, Malu Silva, said she had no doubt that new nail polish trends would become a hit.  

 

[Malu Silva, Hair Dresser]:         

"We were just saying that nail polish was one of the top-selling cosmetics last year. So I think this is an interesting industry and I think this fashion trend will stick."

           

The nails fashion week organizers already have bigger plans for next year as more companies are looking to grab a larger slice of the nail polish market.