Signals

US – Rapper Nicki Minaj has ventured into the beauty industry once again (she previously worked with MAC Cosmetics) with the launch of her glamorous press-on nail brand Pink Friday Nails. Teaming up with her longtime nail artist Yvett Garcia, Minaj aims to revolutionise the press-on market with high-quality designs inspired by her iconic style.

Featuring 11 dynamic designs in various colourways, including matte and chrome bases, Pink Friday Nails offers a range of options for bold statements or subtle elegance. 'I told my team when we started Pink Friday Nails that if I don't want to wear them, I'm not going to even ATTEMPT to sell them because our customers aren't stupid,' Minaj said in a press release.

Minaj's personal experience as a mother led to the creation of Pink Friday Nails, addressing the need for convenient yet stylish nail solutions. With shapes moulded for all nail sizes and lengths, the brand promises a salon-quality look in minutes. Priced between £16 ($20, €18) and £20 ($25, €23) the collection caters to diverse tastes while maintaining accessibility.

To celebrate the launch, Minaj plans to integrate a Pink Friday Nails press-on station into her world tour, offering fans VIP experiences and giveaways.

For more insights on what's next for the business of fame, head to our analysis of the Entre-Celebrity.

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, creative foresight analyst Emily Rhodes digs into the dyke renaissance, ALDI’s diversion to streetwear and the future of TikTok.

: From London to Hollywood, queer womxn are finally moving to the front of the queue. In the US, after decades of decline, lesbian bars are having a resurgence, and in March 2024, London’s newest lesbian bar La Camionera unexpectedly took over the whole street on its launch night. This dyke renaissance is also taking over our screens with the success of lesbian director Emma Seligman's comedy Bottoms and Kristen Stewart’s new thriller Love Lies Bleeding, not to mention Reneé Rapp and Towa Bird hard launching their relationship at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. This is shaping up to be the year of the dyke

: ALDI Australia is dropping its first-ever streetwear line, ALDImania. The discount food retailer is jumping on the streetwear hype we’ve seen other brands including IKEA and Chipotle previously tap into. Featuring loungewear staples in the brand's iconic colours and all retailing under £10 (AUS$20, $13, €12), the limited-edition collection reflects the brand’s budget-friendly values, a trend we previously analysed in Food’s Fashion Strategy

: After the US passed a bill that could require TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the platform or face a possible state-side ban, the platform's future remains unknown. According to a recent Harvard CAPS Harris Poll, 64% of respondents support action being taken. Unsurprisingly, 18-to-24-year-olds were the only group to oppose the ban, with 57% of them objecting to the proposal. With brands becoming reliant on the platform to reach this demographic, one question remains: where will consumers migrate to if the ban is implemented? Perhaps this is the time for Anti-provocation Platforms to shine