“Right education is a must to be job-ready in this industry.”

W hile the year 2020 was a low time for the industry, Professional Beauty India promptly introduced this magazine digitally. This was like a breath of fresh air as it brought the industry closer and helped us keep a tab on what was happening in the market, be it products, styles, or people.

Gurpreet Seble, President and Founder, Nail Spa by Gurpreet, speaks on the need for continuous training for a nail artist and shares her tips for the aspiring artist.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR JOURNEY OVER THE YEARS AND HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE NAIL SPA CARE INDUSTRY EVOLVE SINCE ITS INCEPTION TO DATE?

In India, the nail industry, manicure and pedicures have been around for a long time. However, since the year 2004 when I officially launched my business was when we introduced the concept of artificial nails. People were initially apprehensive, but there are many who don’t have good natural nails. And that’s where it all started. I was expecting the concept to take off much faster than it did. I have lived in North America for three and a half decades and have seen the industry grow from a nascent stage to explode and literally going out of control. But in India, it took a while and the progress today is visible. There have been a lot of peaks and valleys that we have gone through as some cities have been receptive while others have been resistant. But overall, it has been an interesting journey.

FROM A TRAINING AND LEARNING POINT OF VIEW, WHAT ARE THE FOCUS POINTS AN ASPIRANT SHOULD LOOK AT AS PART OF THE CURRICULUM FOR NAIL ART?

This is much required in India because in North America, for instance, we know that the schools offer education and there are checks and balances in place. But, the India scenario is different. If a student is looking at making a career in this industry, it is important to find an academy or an institute that offers nail training at various levels such as Basic, Advanced, Continued Education (CE). I would suggest doing research and shortlisting academies that have been around. It is important to understand who the educator is, what is his/her track record, do they teach as per the local system or bring in an international approach, what has been the placement statistics of the academy, and how many people have been placed by that educator or academy.

Students require a dedicated classroom where they can sit for six hours, understand the nuances of work by practising on people and where they are assessed every day. Hence, right education is a must to be job-ready in this industry.

WHICH WOULD YOU POINT OUT TO AS THE TOP ACADEMIES OR INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA FOR LEARNING NAIL ART AND SPA?

I would not critique any institution, but the selection process of an institution should be based on the criteria I have mentioned before. One could be placed in a small city, but if they find someone who is good and qualifies with all the criteria, they should take up that opportunity. The bottom line that needs to be considered is the aspect of financial independence and job readiness.

HOW IMPORTANT IS CONSTANT TRAINING AND LEARNING FOR A NAIL ARTIST?

Extremely important! The dynamics of this industry keep changing. There is always someone out there working on improving the technology, doing research, and introducing new products. I am completing close to two decades in the business and till date I constantly engage myself in learning new facets of this ever-evolving craft. I remember attending a six-hour workshop with one of my mentors in North America. The only thing that we discussed was UV and LED lamps. We need to understand the amount of research a particular topic entails. I would recommend that every artist and expert in the nail industry must attend a minimum of one or two CEs every year.

WHAT ARE THE INITIAL CHALLENGES IN THIS FIELD AND WHAT WOULD YOUR TIPS BE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS?

It is important for the technicians to be job-ready and find a good place to work, places that respect the products. Do not use products that should not go on a human body to ensure that you don’t run the risk of any chemical overexposure, allergies or breathing issues. Other than that, just keep practising.

I would recommend that every artist and expert in the nail industry must attend a minimum of one or two CEs every year.

WHAT’S GOING TO BE EXCITING FOR THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY – SALON OWNERS, HAIRDRESSERS, SKIN EXPERTS, MAKEUP ARTISTS, BRANDS, ETC–IN THE YEAR 2022?

We are all looking forward to 2022, aren’t we! I hope we can go back to a somewhat normal pace of life for all beauty categories and not just nails in 2022. What is going to be exciting is to see product launches; we had products that were ready to be launched in the Sumner of 2020. And now we have come to the end of 2021 but all through we decided not to launch it in the current environment. So in the New Year 2022, it will be beautiful to see the robustness back in the beauty industry just as it was in the pre-COVID times.