Meet Ami Vega, The Latina Bringing Culture To Nail Art

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

“With nail art, some people think it's such a vain thing, but I've had really meaningful moments with people,” nail artist Ami Vega would like to clear up.

Vega, who has garnered over 20,000 followers on Instagram, started out with a simple blog on Tumblr that turned into a lucrative career. The New York City-based manicurist, who's now signed to an agency, finds her work in acclaimed magazines like Teen Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

There's no denying the talent of the Dominican-American who captured the attention of Kylie Jenner. The Kardashian's youngest sibling featured the nail art guru on her app with a piece titled, “8 Things To Know About Ami Vega.”

When taking a look at her work, one can immediately see that her cultural background has a prominent place in her art and she's well-aware. “My culture is a big part of me, so it's important to me to include it in my art,” she tells PEOPLE CHICA. And also, give it representation. There's not a lot of Latino representation inside the nail world, so I love that I can bring that in.”

And it's not working with brands like Gap or celebrities like Bella Hadid that she marks as the proudest moment of her career but creating her first book, titled Designer Nails: Create Art at Your Fingertips. "You don't see too many nail art books with people of color out there," says Vega. "So to come in, and be like 'Okay, I did it, too.' That was one of my favorite moments.”

As she continues to build her resume in the nail industry, Vega hopes to be an inspiration to the Latino community and support those who are also creating. "I think it's important to support each other and to have a community within the Latino community, especially as creatives."

Get to know more about Ami Vega in her episode of Los Creadores, featured above!