Today we’d like to introduce you to Jules, founder of Deco Miami.
Hi Jules, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Jules and I’m the founder of Deco Miami, a brand that specializes in nail art stickers and nail lacquer. I started working on Deco when I was in business school back in 2015. The beauty industry was booming at this time, but I noticed that the nail polish market was pretty boring in comparison to other color cosmetics products and I felt like I could do something about that. When I began Deco, the vision was all about creating a nail brand for millennial women who wanted to do their nails at home. I focused on packaging and branding and designed everything with Art Deco and vintage Miami top of mind.
I began working on nail art stickers in 2018 thinking that they would be a fun secondary product to offer alongside of my nail polishes. As I designed the stickers, I realized that I had something really special, and it seems everyone agrees because it’s been a wild ride since they launched in October of 2020. The stickers are currently sold in Urban Outfitters and have been featured in multiple e-commerce programs on beauty websites like ipsy and FabFitFun.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest part of being an entrepreneur is not having someone to tell you what you should do when you need some direction. In the beginning of my business, I knew that having pretty bottles was not enough of a differentiator for my brand, but I wasn’t sure what else made my brand special to finesse my messaging. Anyone can start a beauty line with nice packaging, so why else should you buy Deco Miami products? This question took three years to answer when I finally found nail art stickers.
Nail art stickers are not new in the beauty market, but no company was focusing on this product specifically and thus there was no innovation or excitement in the category. I consider myself to be an artist of sorts, and taking on nail art stickers was a natural progression of my product offering for my nail polish customers and also attracted new customers loyal to other polish brands who wanted my stickers too.
When I released my nail art stickers last fall, it was immediately apparent that my brand was at a new stage and I needed to run with it. I never imagined when I began Deco that I would pivot from nail polish to nail art stickers, but I’m happy to be on this path.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When you think of nail art stickers, do you picture a cheap looking sheet of AliExpress butterflies? Or does your mind take you back to when you were a tween shopping at Claire’s at the mall? Nail art stickers have been “done dirty”, and it’s a shame because the concept is totally in line with what consumers are looking for in this market- affordable, DIY nail art. Press-ons and wraps have gotten all of the attention since COVID, but nail art stickers are the real MVPs because the wearer can customize their look as opposed to being locked into whatever design is on a press-on. Nail art stickers are inherently more creative and inspiring.
With this in mind, I designed my sheets to inspire creativity, and that’s why there are many different sticker designs on one sheet instead of 100 of the same object. Seeing a sheet of 100 stars isn’t very interesting, but if I show you stars next to moons, sparkles, planets, and constellations, your mind starts dreaming up ways for you to use those stickers on yourself. My sheets are all about delivering a vibe, and it’s up to the wearer to interpret how to express the vibe for themselves. Nails are all about the what the wearer wants, and that’s why my stickers are different and why people can’t get enough of them!
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is seeing people enjoy the products I have made and create new meaning with them. When someone wears my nail art stickers, they are participating in a creative collaboration with myself and my brand. I believe that the point of creating art is to connect with other people, and so I feel fortunate to be in a line of work where my creativity inspires creativity in others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deco.miami
- Instagram: @deco.miami
