Firmly at the forefront of the green revolution, Australian-born, NYC-based Kim D’Amato is the proud owner of Priti, the first all-organic nail spa in NYC. What started as a personal mission to lead a healthier lifestyle during pregnancy has now turned into a huge business with a growing line of polishes and a celeb fan base that includes A-listers such as Lady Gaga, Stella McCartney and Natalie Portman. Kim shares her story and advice on going green.
Tell us how Priti NYC came about . . . When I was pregnant with my daughter, I realised that there was no place to go to beautify myself that was not laden with chemicals. I had started eating organically and, like every new mother, became aware of a new life inside of me and was worried for the health of my unborn child. I frequented a nail salon which was so chemical, I thought why can we not beautify ourselves without all this. So I set about doing so. In 2004 I started New York's first organic spa, Priti. I built the spa sustainably and as green as I knew how to at the time. We used local builders and found materials to create the custom-built furniture. We had handmade wooden bowls as pedicure bowls and we used biodegradable slippers and green cleaning products. We basically tried to keep it as green as we could.