Ruffian is partnering with Birchbox on their first Ruffian Nail Lacquer Collection and asking consumers for help picking their debut shades. Through Wednesday, Birchbox's Facebook fans can choose three to five possible shades that pay homage to various elements of the "Ruffian world." Come September, the winning colors will be mailed to Birchbox subscribers and featured in New York Fashion Week.
"We are [pleased] to launch our collection of nail polish nationwide to the 500,000 subscribers of Birchbox," said Brian Wolk, co-creative director of Ruffian, who added that the move into nail color was inspired by a growing cult following behind the
Ruffian Manicure, a two-color reverse moon design. "Offering nail polish in our runway colors will be the perfect continuation of our passion for beauty."
According to Wolk, the brand is in also in talks with "major beauty retailers" to simultaneously release the collection into brick-and-mortar stores. For Birchbox, this marks its first designer collaboration, and an opportunity to crowdsource its digital fan base. "We saw that
Ruffian had a really beautiful idea and thought we could make the launch big through our audience on social media," said Katia Beauchamp, cofounder of Birchbox, who added that future product collaborations with designers are planned. "Consumers, more than ever, love to get close to a brand so why not let them tell us what they want to buy."
