Fashion is quite literally CND’s middle name. The brand’s slogan, “Nails. Fashion. Beauty.” proves that they are out to nail Fashion Week with the most memorable looks.

When I talked to CND co-founder Jan Arnold at ISSE Long Beach, she detailed the brand’s 18 year history with Fashion Week  from the conception of a nail design to the revealing walk down the runway. “We have to ask ‘What doesn’t the wardrobe say?’” said Arnold about deciding what nails to create. She points to 12 years ago as the turning point in fashion, “We changed the way people see nails. We have elevated it to an art.” Arnold compares that to when CND first started participating in Fashion Week. “Everyone wanted nude nails,” she remembered, “But they can’t go back to bare nails now.”

While some designers still do opt for a minimal nail look,  the Blonds are a design team that truly can’t go back to bare nails. CND has been partnering with the Blonds for six years because they share the vision that nails are the ultimate fashion accessory. Looks from season’s past include crystal encrusted colored tips, fangs, reptilian texture, shark bites, caviar, stockings, and even eyeballs. You can see these past looks here.

For their latest collaboration, CND has dreamed up 3-D nail art inspired by comic book villains, ornate jewel-thief inspired nails, and diamond shaped cutout designs. You can view these haute looks up close on CND’s social media headquarters . These two behind-the-scenes looks from the Design Lab show CND Education Ambassadors prepping nails for the runway show. Like high-fashion, these nail looks can take a team hours and even days to execute a complete look.

Once again, CND proves that when it comes to Fashion Week, it is all about the nails. To view CND’s Fall 2014 trend predictions and more nail fashions, click here.

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CND for The Blonds Fall/Winter 2014

Backstage at CND for The Blonds Fall/Winter 2014