Essie has long been a trailblazer in the nail world, – from tongue-and-cheek shade names to its origin story on the strip in Las Vegas, US – but the heritage player is now entering a new era under the guidance of Melanie Ioanna.
Ioanna, SVP and Global Head of Brand for the L’Oréal-owned nail player, is on a mission to bring Essie’s 45-year history into the 21st century via a strategic rebrand that sees playful visuals and cultural cues meet a commitment to elevating the at-home manicure experience.
This new approach , which is centred around ‘Cheeky Luxury’, is set to further cement the brand as a major nail player for the next four decades.
The decision to enter this new era, which involves new skus and a soon-to-launch renovated care portfolio, has come as the brand entered what Ioanna described as a “plateau”.
She explains: “I think it was such a beautiful brand that had reached a plateau and started becoming a little cheap or juvenile, and so we basically [said], ‘okay, let’s do this, let's rebrand’..
“We looked a lot at the heritage of the brand – it was founded by a woman named Essie Weinberg in 1981 – and she was just this lady that loved doing her nails, and loved beauty and make-up and fashion and colour, and started mixing these nail polishes in her garage.
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“If you have seen some of the original advertising, you know the content around Essie was very elegant, elevated, beautiful, but also, at the same time, her shade names were provocative and funny, like Sugar Daddy and Bikini So Teeny, and now everyone has these fun shade names.”
Entering the world of Cheeky Luxury
It was this boldness and playfulness that triggered the idea for Cheeky Luxury, the nail brand’s new creative platform that acts as a benchmark f
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