In the press
Selected features, interviews and stories on ZHR Nails.
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Vogue Arabia
Vogue Arabia explores the story behind ZHR Nails, from Mughal architecture and bridal textiles to hand-painted works rooted in heritage, representation and South Asian culture.
I grew up running around our family-owned fabric shop, Heena Fabrics, surrounded by rich textures, embroidery, and colour. We would play dress-up with scrap fabrics, bangles, and jewellery.
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Soigné
Soigné Middle East profiles Zahra Nadeem on the creative world behind ZHR Nails, exploring her distinctive artistic style. The interview looks at how each set is developed with deliberate detail and approached as a miniature work of art.
I’m taking a medium that’s been underestimated and transforming it into something archival, luxurious, and deserving of a place in galleries and as heirlooms.
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BBC News
ZHR Nails featured on BBC News as part of its coverage of ‘Come As You Really Are’, the landmark Artangel exhibition celebrating creativity, craftsmanship and the artists and makers behind the work.
I would laugh and be like, ‘No-one’s going to look at nails in an exhibition.’
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The Times
The Times features Zahra Nadeem and her handmade nail art as part of its News in Pictures series, photographed for ‘Come As You Really Are’.
Zahra Nadeem displays her handmade nail art at Come As You Really Are.
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Vogue Arabia
Vogue Arabia explores how a new generation of creatives is bringing culture into contemporary beauty, featuring ZHR Nails and Zahra Nadeem’s approach to transforming historic references, memory and personal storytelling into miniature works of art.
It feels like I’ve taken something historic and made it new. It’s joy, pride and defiance all at once.
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Cosmopolitan India
Cosmopolitan India spotlights ZHR Nails in its statement nail art edit, featuring the hand-painted Mughal-inspired set among a selection of artists pushing nail art beyond the conventional.
Transforming heritage into wearable art is the only way to do history justice.
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Factory International
Factory International profiles Zahra Nadeem as part of its Factory Creatives series, exploring the story behind ZHR Nails, her creative process and the experiences that shaped her work. The feature traces her relationship with colour, detail and craftsmanship, from her family’s fabric shop in Rochdale to the miniature artworks she creates today.
Everything I do now – in colour, detail and texture – can be traced back to this space.
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InStyle
InStyle features Zahra Nadeem as its nail expert for a summer gel edit, discussing her approach to detailed gel work, current nail trends and the techniques behind ZHR Nails. Four ZHR designs are featured throughout the article, including Summer Vibes, Cherry Dipped, Lahori Lustre and Santorini.
Gel gives me the freedom to do really detailed work.
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Homegrown
Homegrown explores the intricate artistry behind ZHR Nails, highlighting the precision and detail behind each set, turning the smallest of surfaces into something deeply considered and distinctly ZHR.
Zahra found herself steeped in South Asian aesthetics from an early age. But in the West’s beauty mainstream, such motifs rarely surfaced. Her work, then, began as a kind of retrieval, a return to the tactile and symbolic textures of her childhood.
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Social Diary
Social Diary profiles Zahra Nadeem and the world of ZHR Nails, exploring the artistry, detail and visual storytelling behind her hand-painted work. The feature looks at how traditional references are reimagined through a contemporary style, turning each set into something distinctly her own.
Through ZHR Nails, Zahra Nadeem is pushing for better cultural representation. Most importantly, she shows that South Asian heritage belongs in today’s beauty world.
