Ep 314: ‘We are all Chanel women now.’ Session Manicurist Ama Quashie on those Chanel cruise ‘mermaid nails’, why the fashion industry must recognise nail techs and why professionalism is key

Ep 314: ‘We are all Chanel women now.’ Session Manicurist Ama Quashie on those Chanel cruise ‘mermaid nails’, why the fashion industry must recognise nail techs and why professionalism is key

From The Charisse Report by Charisse Kenion

May 21, 2026 · 58 min · Episode 314

About this episode

Ama Quashie discusses her experiences as a session manicurist and the importance of professionalism in the fashion industry.

Today I have the amazing session manicurist Ama Quashie as my guest. Ama Quashie is a next level nail artist who has perfected the nails of Pink, Solange, Michaela Coel, Zoe Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz and many more. Her work has been seen in British, French and American Vogue as well as W magazine, The Gentlewoman , Dazed... she’s worked on campaigns for Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Prada, Loewe – the list goes on and on, and she’s also the go-to key manicurist when it comes to fashion week shows. Interestingly, Ama is also the only manicurist in the Business of Fashion 500, a list that chronicles the best of the best when it comes to the people shaping the fashion industry. So there's definitely a bigger conversation to be had there, and we get into the issues that manicurists often face in an industry that doesn't always give them the credit they deserve. In this episode Ama talks about the level of professionalism that is needed in the fashion industry and how you also need to learn how to put yourself forward and knowing how to balance the two. Of course she also talks about those stunning Chanel mermaid nails and shares on the brilliance and warmth of Creative Director…

People in this episode

Host: Charisse Kenion

Guest: Ama Quashie

Topics covered

  • nail artistry
  • fashion industry
  • professionalism
  • Chanel mermaid nails
  • manicurists recognition
  • celebrity nails

Keywords

  • nail artist
  • Chanel nails
  • fashion week
  • manicurist
  • professionalism
  • Ama Quashie
  • celebrity nails
  • fashion industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: British Vogue, French Vogue, American Vogue, W magazine, The Gentlewoman, Dazed, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Prada, Loewe

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