About Us
V1 BY LaTae is a black, woman-owned business based in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Our mission is to enable each of our customers to proudly express their unique style while maintaining our company standard: high-quality & non-toxic.
While many brands claim to do this, we’re proud to make our mission a reality with our ten qualities. We also strive to educate ourselves and others about the history of and evolving cosmetic industry, specifically within the US. We advocate for our customers to know more than how a product looks, so they can make safe decisions that promote their nail health. All the while, being fashionable and stylish.
OUR STORY
V1 BY LaTae was founded in collaboration between a mother and daughter. Shaylyn, also known as Latae, has always loved getting her nails done. Since her teenage years, bi-weekly nail-tech visits have been a major aspect of her life. She was never short on style, no matter the nail color. However, after years of working in various industries, she felt like she was an exceptional employee, but was doing it all without a purpose. Through this, she was inspired to fulfill herself by combining her polish passion with business ownership that benefited both herself and her community.
Latae’s daughter, Aryana, is quite different. Aryana has always been the ‘do-it-yourself’ type. While she enjoyed nail polish, she hated all the cons like the chemically-smell, the long drying times, the brittle feeling her nails would be left with, and the fact that she had to purchase so many products to apply and remove the polish. No matter how great a nail polish looked, Aryana rarely found herself doing her nails. This motivated her to work with her mother to create something new and better than the polishes of the past.
LaTae and Aryana’s respective wants intertwined to create V1 BY LaTae. Together they work towards breaking generational curses, embracing lifelong learning, and living a meaningful life. Even more, each of their experiences crafted the foundation for each of V1 BY LaTae’s qualities and long-term commitments.