How to creatively spotlight Hawaiʻi’s rarest birds? Put them on press-on nails

In quite an unusual creative collaboration, a small business that produces press-on nails and a self-described bird enthusiast illustrator have teamed up with Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

The purpose? To spotlight some of Hawaiʻi’s most endangered birds while raising funds for their protection.

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is a critical habitat for a variety of native Hawaiian birds, including the bright red ʻiʻiwi, the endangered ʻakiapōlāʻau and the critically endangered ʻakepa.

Habitat loss due to invasive species and human development has led to significant declines in Hawaiʻi’s native forest birds, making protected areas like Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge vital for conservation.

To support biodiversity in Hakalau Forest, Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge use profits from its online store to fund preservation, protection and restoration efforts.

While shopping online, Cathy West Dale, a volunteer with Friends of Hakalau Forest, discovered a collection of press-on nails from ʻIwi Nails featuring bird designs that would be ideal for the store.

“I volunteer with the merchandise and online store, so I am always looking for different things we can sell that would help raise money for Hakalau Forest Refuge,” West Dale said. “I have known about ʻIwi Nails for a while and bought a few in the past for myself and for gifts. When I saw those nail tips, I thought they were so cute and would be great for Hakalau.”

West Dale was unaware that the bird collection is a long-standing collaboration between two friends, Līhau Willing, owner of ʻIwi Nails, and Jo Camara, owner of Kahua ʻĀina.

Willing, located on Molokaʻi, started ʻIwi Nails in 2021 due to her desire for easy-to-use and long-lasting nail products, feeling that most available designs were too plain.

Following research, Willing realized she could create her own press-on gel nails and semi-cured gel nail strips that represented her personality and culture. Nails became a method for physical self-expression.

“When I realized I could create my own nails, I started designing ones that felt personal to me,” Willing said. “I wanted to wear my identity on my nails. When I got to actually wear the designs that reflected my perspectives, I started to make more and share that feeling of belonging with my community.”

After she began making nails, Willing was on the Big Island when she encountered Jo Camara, a high school friend, at a market where both were selling art that shared a vision of highlighting Hawaiʻi’s beauty and uniqueness.

In 2019, Camara launched Kahua ʻĀina, which produces items including pillows, stickers and posters that display the physical, spiritual and emotional elements of ʻāina.

One of Camara’s initial collections was a series of pillows shaped like the fish she saw as a child in Kāneʻohe Bay on Oʻahu.

“I started Kahua ʻĀina because I wanted my kids to connect with things they see daily,” Camara said. “I wanted to root kids in Hawaiʻi through these home goods. During COVID-19, I was fortunate as my small business began to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined, so I started to create more illustrations, including birds.”

When the two women met again in 2022, they realized they had similar creative business goals and decided to collaborate. Willing developed a set of ʻIwi Nails that displayed five bird designs by Camara.

“Jo was one of my first collaborations, and it happened naturally when we saw each other,” Willing said. “It was a catalyst for what ʻIwi Nails is today, rooted in stories by legends. The designs are not only inspired by ʻāina but also meaningful stories, histories and images.”

The first bird nails set included five native forest bird species – ʻiʻiwi, ʻapapane, ʻelepaio, palila and ʻakiapōlāʻau.

“I was thrilled when this opportunity arose to showcase these designs I had already created,” Camara said. “I offered them to Līhau, and she created the coolest nails for the collaboration. They sold out quickly and became a favorite among her customers. At events like the Hawaiʻi Island Festival of Birds in Hilo, they always sell out.”

Willing sold a batch of bird nails to Friends of Hakalau Forest Refuge at a wholesale price, and West Dale listed them online in late January. They sold out within a week.

The partnership with Hakalau Forest Refuge naturally aligned with Willing’s vision for ʻIwi Nails, aiming to highlight causes and calls to action to educate people who might not otherwise be aware.

Willing’s website now features a collaboration with Symbrosia, a Kailua-Kona aquaculture facility, creating livestock feed additives from seaweed that reduce methane emissions by over 80 percent. The nails showcase designs like cow print and seaweed.

“These are unconventional collaborations on the surface — nails, birds, Hakalau Forest Refuge— but the nails are always cute, and people love them,” Willing said. “Creating these designs is a fun challenge, and I’m glad many people can express themselves and their niche interests with ʻIwi Nails.”

While no dates are set for a restock at Hakalau Forest Refuge, Willing, Camara and West Dale plan to work together again for another collaboration for the online merchandise store.

“I am a true-blue bird lover from birth, and Hakalau Forest Refuge is among the best places for some endangered forest bird species. My dream is to do a bird survey there,” Camara said. “You must know all the bird calls to survey accurately, so I may have to improve my knowledge of calls and prepare for mountain walking.”

Friends of Hakalau Forest are currently selling aloha shirts by David Shepard with a design featuring an ʻakiapōlāʻau on an ʻōhiʻa with lehua blossoms. Sales from the website’s merchandise support the conservation of biological diversity in Hakalau Forest.

For the next collaboration, Willing is preparing a project for Asian American and Pacific Islander Month.

To explore more collaborations and press-on nail designs, visit the ʻIwi Nails website. Find more designs and home goods from Camara on the Kahua ʻĀina website.