SOPHY ROBSON

Sometimes, but very rarely, I meet another girl who just gets it. They understand everything that matters, everything that works, they are passionate at what they do and they just know. Sophy Robson is one of these ladies. A self-made businesswoman who turned her love for nails, not just into a bankable career, but into a cool one too. Sophy isn't just any manicurist, she's worked with some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, for every magazine that matters and shot tons of campaigns. Now she has her name above the door of a salon with Fortnum and Mason (AKA the Queens Supermarket) and can charge £110 for a pedicure! She's London to the bone, has a ridiculous appreciation for 90s hip hop and loves her family. What more could I ask from a person. Sophy Robson tells us all...

Name: Sophy Corinne Robson
Age: 30 plus
Hometown: London
Now Lives: London




When you were were a little girl did you ever think you would be rich and famous for painting nails?
Not in a million years!! I was quite a tomboy when I was younger but as I matured, I realised that being feminine did not compromise you as a strong woman. I have worked so hard to get to this point it still amazes me that people have even heard of me!





What was your upbringing like?
Well me and my brother and sister all grew up with a very strong work ethic, and I also learned  how to economise which is very important to running a business, although no one in my family had anything to do with business! It was a case of waste not want not. My dad was a teacher and my mum worked in shops and as a secretary. Me and my brother were into music especially black music from a young age. I was crazy about music!!



Tell me about your career path. How did you get started in this industry?
I started to do my nails in the 1990s when I was doing all sorts workwise. I had been a DJ throughout the 90's but the hip hop scene and money was dying out in this country. I was sooooo into hip hop and r and b, and I was influenced by all the girls in that industry and literally started to copy the french manicure look onto myself. I used to get tips from magazines on how to do nails! It wasnt till I had my daughter that I really took the idea of manicurist as a job seriously.



I read about nailbars opening and went to a trade show at Olympia. I remember walking in and thinking wow! this industry is MASSIVE!  So I went to college and studied NVQ beauty therapy 2 days a week while working at NYNC 3 days a week. My daughter was in a push chair and I had just broke up with her dad so it was hard work, but I was so determined. I loved it.



With fashion, I had always loved my clothes and labels and had always cut images out of magazines, so I wanted to know how you could get to work on photo shoots. A lot of models used to come in to get their nails done for jobs but it was very rare to get booked on a shoot. I kept asking people and eventually I went to see an agency with pictures of model's nails I had done in FHM, Woman etc. I even used to take my own pictures because I knew I was really good at doing natural looking fake nails.



There were only a couple of photographers like Miles Aldridge and Mert and Marcus who used manicurists. I remember Dazed & Confused were doing a piece about nails and they came round and took pictures of some nails I did on my friend's sister, where I was doing acrylic encapsulating of dollar notes and holographic heart shapes and stars. I loved doing creative stuff but by 2001 I was a manager at Bliss spa in Sloane Avenue and working hard at that in my spare time as I had to earn money!!!!!



I got asked to do a few shoots and I remember Val Garland saw me at a show once and she thought I was really good and recommended me to Untitled agency. I also used to go and do celebrities like Christina Aguilera and All Saints but I still worked at the salon. Even when I did my first campaign which was Jimmy Choo I was still working full time. It was all getting too much though, and I took the decision to leave my managerial post and become a freelance manicurist in 2002. It was a gamble but thank god it all worked out as I had lots of private clients to keep the money coming in.



How did you get the Fortnum and Mason gig? Its like the poshest shop in London!
I moved away from doing false nails and became more focussed on pedicures as a business when I worked at Bliss. It was simply more lucrative and less time consuming so it was a natural progression. There was no one doing good pedicures and rich people wanted it. I realised people were willing to pay a higher price for good quality treatment.  I started as an appointment only service at The Berkeley Hotel, so it could fit in with my fashion work. I loved The Berkeley - it is luxury service at its best there, but I was getting so busy with shoot work, I wanted to train people to fulfil bookings I couldn't make and there wasn't the room to expand. Then I was approached by Fortnum & Mason, as they were opening a beauty service department and they wanted someone to head up the pedicure services. I couldn't believe my luck as although I hadn't really been to the shop, I had heard of it and I felt it would be the shopping equivalent of the Berkeley in terms of quality. They have a very good reputation and as you say POSH but that is where my treatments work!  The medi - pedi has always been a bespoke treatment and as far away from the nail bar experience as you can get.  Its about quality not quantity.



Who are you nail inspirations?
If you mean manicurists then Deborah Lippmann from NYC. I follow her on twitter!  She has a great career, and she has a salon background like myself. I also think Yuna Park is very good. There was also a guy from Florida called Tom Holcomb who used to do 3-d nail art. I used to go to his seminars - I learnt a lot from him.



You used to do Mutya Buena's nails, what was she like?
She is straight up London! I have been to her mums house and met the whole family once when I was waiting for her to come in from shopping. They are a very close family and were so nice. Her daughter is beautiful. The thing that amazes me is she doesnt often break her nails when they are so long!



Who are your fave people to shoot with?
Everyone has different processes and visions which is what makes my job so interesting. Obvioulsy I am thrilled by amazing hand and nail shots which would be Mert and Marcus and Solve. Last year I linked up with Matt Irwin and Simon Robins and we just work really well together,as they always give me complete freedom to do whatever I want nailwise which is amazing as some people shy away from trying new things. Katie Grand is one of my favourite stylists as she was one of the first to be interested in nails and she always has brilliant vision about what is going to work, as is Carine Roitfeld. Sometimes the make up artists like Alex Box and Val Garland bring out the best in me...like the nails I did with Gareth Pugh. ive been doing a lot with Alasdair McLlellan and David Sims recently and have utmost admiration for their work.  To be honest I work with some amazing people and am a very lucky lady!




What was your most challenging shoot?
3 years ago I got booked to work on a Rolex campaign, shot by a French photographer called Jean La Riviere which was 5 weeks of travelling around the United States and in Europe. We were shooting in several deserts, and with a few different models and lets say backstage facilities were very primitive! I had to make a dressing room on a plastic mat and cardboard box as a wall one time.So that was definitely a challenge as polish is very hard to work with in hot dry climates. I was also responsible for the skin makeup so had to be on set all the time, and we were working from sunrise to sunset many days in 40 degree heat, But on the plus side it was the most amazing trip of my life!!



Who are you favourite clients and what do they have on their nails?
I love Daphne Guinness as she is an icon and a very inspiring person and she is known for her blood red colour nails. Also Lara Bohinc is a friend and client and her signature has always been the half moon manicure, which I have also done on Dita Von Teese. I love all the new London girls like Alice Dellal and Eliza Cummings, as they are up for anything - the more unusual the better.



How do you see the nail industry changing?
It has become so much more widespread since I started. There were only a handful of salons and nail bars and it was limited to certain sectors of the community. Now I see so many more women around of all ages and backgrounds with nails done, whether it be manicure or pedicure. They are experimenting with different colours. It is great! I think that British women used to see nails as a luxury but it has now become more of a necessity alongside hair and beauty grooming rituals.



How do traditional nail techs respond to you? Like the ones in Swindon with salons called Beauty 2 U?
I have no idea about that one but I hope I can inspire anyone to pursue their dreams and take pride in their work.



Who are your life inspirations?
Kanye West is one - I am obsessed with him even though most people dont like him. Vivienne Westwood is also someone who I so admire. She has just done her thing for all this time with grace, dignity and integrity , even when people were ridiculing her. She is an amazing person to work with. Also strong successful business women like Marcia Kilgore who started Bliss and now runs Fit flops and Soap and Glory. I am inspired by people with regular backgrounds who have made it and who have worked hard to get there. I have met so many amazing people through my job - alot of them have inspired me in different ways.



You daughter Jade is amazing! What does family mean to you?
Thank you! I am so relieved she has turned out so well as often parenting from the studio is not easy but she is the biggest focus in my life, and that was what motivated me from the start.  I am so proud of my daughter as she is already showing signs of ambition and has noticed that if you work really hard for things you can achieve them. I have just tried to be there for her when I am not working and given her quality time and we have enjoyed what this life can bring together!  Sometimes people get a little too obsessed with the fashion industry as if nothing else exists and having a family is a great gift to have.



Tell me about your DJing - whats your fave tune to work to?
Djing was my first proper career. I just loved music and I wanted to prove that girls could Dj too as well as boys as it was such as male dominated area. Girls did not even go into record shops unless they were with their boyfriend! So I bought decks and didnt stop practising until I could mix. I took it very seriously - times were so different then. Now I see girl djs dressed as dolly birds just stopping and starting the cd player. It doesnt really mean that much any more!!  I love to hear a good female dj though - I will always go up and say something as I remember when people used to do that to me. Music is everything to me - I still listen to hip hop although there's not so much good stuff coming out now. I love Drake, Clipse, Kanye and JayZ. I saw both their shows last year and they were fab! I try to download mixtapes from the internet. I really can't listen to commercial R&B anymore its so cheesy and its all gone a bit too cheap porn.  Alasdair Mcllellan plays the best music on his shoots. He has loads of 80s and 90s and new stuff. I love him for that!!



What are your plans for the future?
I am just taking my dreams to the top now with the right team behind me we are going to achieve big things! Its like I have reached this status now I have to do something with it and take things to the next level.

READ SOPHY'S BLOG NOW....

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