Clutch Nails, as it's known today, was created May 2017, but the founder, Alexandra Tonks, had started a version of this business when she was only a senior in college at UC Berkeley.
She created Clutch Nails when she noticed there were a lack of options for durable, on-trend press-on nails. She decided then that she would paint her own designs on blank press-on nails.
After painting a few sets of nails, she put a set on and wore it to a college party. From the second she arrived, multiple girls approached her asking where she had gotten her nails done. She told them she had painted them herself and she would paint sets for them too—which is when the fun really started.
Word got out and the demand for nails became overwhelming. Alexandra hired nail artists from a local nail salon to help her paint and come up with designs—all while she was still in school. She would come home from class and all the nail techs would meet in her apartment, painting nail tips for hours. The nail techs loved it as they were able to make extra money and they were able to freely create their own designs instead of being limited to the demands of their salon clients.
Three years after launching Clutch Nails, her nail designs are now nationally available.
San Diego
