From NYC to Paris, fashion designer Marc Jacobs has showcased his designs at some of the hottest fashion shows in the industry. His fashion-forward celebrity fans include Naomi Campbell and Janelle Monáe. But these days, Jacobs is getting more buzz about his own fashion flair than anything he’s sending down the runway.
In a July 1 Instagram post that got over 63,000 likes, Jacobs showed off his acrylic nails and gave a serious shout-out to the Black women who inspired his creative nail art.
“Thank you Flo-Jo, Lil Kim, Missy, Sha’ Carri and all the beautiful, creative black women who paved the way. Flowers, admiration and infinite respect to you,” Jacobs wrote.
Black women were quick to show their appreciation for Jacobs’ recognition, leaving comments on his post like, “Damn the fact that you said this speaks volumes about you as a person and now I’m happy that I’m always spending my money on your perfumes and bags! You make us love you. By just being you!” and “Thank you for acknowledging black women Marcquisha.” Even Lil’ Kim got in on the conversation, commenting, “Awwwww my bestie this is beautiful and so are those gorgeous nails 💅 🫶.”
But some on social media have serious questions about how Jacobs takes care of his personal business with extra-long nails, asking, “How do you wipe your hiney after the poops?”
In a recent interview with Vogue, Jacobs said his love of beautiful nails started when he was a kid and was inspired by his mother and aunts, who kept their pinkies on point with a classic French manicure.
These days, Jacobs keeps his nails looking fresh with the help of Yulenny Garcia, owner of Muñeca Nail Salon in The Bronx, bringing his sense of style to every mani.
“Marc is very passionate about each set we create,” Garcia told Vogue. “He designs each set himself.”
But the nails are just for him — Jacobs is not planning to incorporate nail art in his runway shows right now.
“I’m doing this for me—it’s a statement of self-expression. I’m just enjoying long nails, you know? Nothing more than that,” he said.