COLOUR vision

Gelish founder Danny Haile and his daughter Morgan Haile, one half of the company’s Morgan Taylor brand, tell Kezia Parkins about the family company’s plans and what inspires them

Morgan, what does your role at Gelish and Morgan Taylor involve?

Morgan Haile: “I’m half of Morgan Taylor. Taylor and I do lots of things in the company, from brand management to colour development and PR. We also have siblings that work in the office too, and other family members – it’s a truly family company here.”

Danny, what’s your first memory of the nail industry?

Danny Haile: “I think I was around 10 years old and a professional baseball player came in to one of my aunt’s nail salons to get a nail repaired because he had a split fingernail. We were playing baseball as kids and I remember thinking, ’That’s the neatest thing’.

“I think it was important seeing a man, especially a sports star, in that setting because it allows you to see yourself. So that’s how I got introduced to acrylic nails.”

How did that eventually lead to starting a nail brand?

DH: “Through high school my brother and I didn’t pay much attention to nails until one day one of my aunts asked me to go deposit one of her cheques for her. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, you can make this much money from doing nails?’ So, I decided to do them throughout summer and my grandma got me and my cousin David, (my now business partner) into a programme at beauty school “From there, we started working in the salon. Then we started competing in worldwide competitions and got thinking about how we could improve things. There were really no super-bright whites in the marketplace so, working with Tom Holcomb and a few other people, that’s what we created. We started making competition white and pink powders with a brand called EZ Flow in the early ’80s.”

What’s the biggest benefit of being a family company?

DH: “You can trust that family is going to get out there and make the right decisions. They understand that myself and David have been in the industry for 40 years, and that it means a lot to us. By them working here with us, they see that every time we create something new, it’s really for the technician and the improvement of a product.”

MH: “Anything we put out there, from a colour to a Disney collaboration, there’s some heart and passion. We all get together and say, ‘Is this something we believe in?’

Nothing we put out is just because it has a purpose. And I think that’s what you get with a family company – both passion and purpose.”

What is exciting you in the industry at the moment?

DH: “What I see in the nail itself is perfection. An example of this is full cover tips coming onto the market. Back in the day, we had to apply a product, file and shape it. Now, you get a perfected nail with excellent adhesion. Then after that, it becomes about the artistry of using multiple layers of products to create different looks. I’m also inspired by people educating one another so easily on the internet about how to do different types of designs.”

What is the most exciting thing going on for the brand right now?

DH: “Probably our Cream Gels, where we can put six palettes of colour in one case for a very similar price to one bottle of gel polish. They give great coverage and are amazing for lines and art.”