Pushing the boundaries of brand-building, global skincare brand SK-II unveiled “SK-II Artist Series: Power Of Pitera” to reimagine its iconic Pitera and brand-building, from story-telling to retail experience, through the power of collaborative art. This comes to life in a first-of-its-kind exhibition in Shanghai and in SK-II’s first-ever art-inspired store design for its Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Ikebukuro flagship outlet in Tokyo.
Helmed by Carol Lim, co-founder and half of the creative duo of Opening Ceremony, and featuring a global creative collective of artists — illustrator Han Ram, design magazine “Toilet Paper,” choreographer Ryan Heffington, photographer Zhong Lin, “SK-II Artist Series: Power Of Pitera” is SK-II’s largest artistic undertaking in its brand transformation journey yet and one of the world’s biggest beauty and art crossover programs.
Taking inspiration from iconic Pitera — the legendary discovery story, the miracle of each precious drop, the signature “Pat Pat” move and Crystal Clear Skin, the artists reinterpret iconic Pitera through a wide range of art mediums such as collage, sculpture, painting, photography, graphics and even modern dance.
Pitera is “Legendary” by Ram Han
The legend of Pitera — it all started in a sake brewery in Japan where a chance observation of an old Toji’s miraculously youthful-looking hands with a stark contrast to his wrinkled face unlocked the secret to the Power Of Pitera.
This legendary moment is re-enacted in illustrator Ram Han’s surreal dreamscape.
“I get my inspiration from my personal experience and fantastical, mystical memories from my childhood. When I heard SK-II’s discovery story, it left a deep impression on me,” Ram said. “I wanted to render this legendary discovery story of Pitera in a surreal dreamscape that reenacts the wonder of that exact moment of chance of observation.”
Pitera is “a Miraculous drop” by Toilet Paper
Through bold and provocative aesthetic, design magazine Toilet Paper captures the miraculous power held each drop of Pitera.
“The story behind the power of Pitera was so interesting and unique—even just one drop contains the miracle,” said Toilet Paper. “And so, we thought… what if this single powerful drop becomes like magical element that would be alive in the image? We want to capture the essence of that and marry it with our signature visually provocative aesthetic.”
Pitera is “Pat Pat” by Ryan Heffington
Reborn as fun dance choreography, SK-II’s iconic “Pat Pat” move is elevated to a true art form by choreographer Ryan Heffington.
“I wanted to express the fun of using Pitera Essence,” Heffington said. “It is an enjoyable process…there should be some sort of ‘soul.’ I wanted to make it real and make it human.”
Pitera is “Crystal Clear Skin” by Zhong Lin
Millions of women who have used Pitera experienced transformation to Crystal Clear Skin. Zhong Lin’s photographic series explores the beauty of Crystal Clear Skin, evocatively capturing the skin of SK-II brand ambassadors Tangwei and Ayase through a cinematic lens.
“I love breakthroughs. I love to challenge traditions. With SK-II, I wanted to push the boundaries on the expression of SK-II’s iconic Crystal Clear Skin with powerful emotions,” Lin said. “This is an unprecedented skincare shoot with numerous creatives that are truly ‘out of the box’ in my opinion. I’d say this campaign is an artistic achievement that combines fashion, beauty and skincare in a whole new light.”
Pitera is “Iconic” by Artist Collective
A creative collective of artists from over the world reinterpret the iconic Pitera™ Essence in their own way in an experimental collage comprising of various art forms like illustration, photography, sculpture and painting.
“This project is all about respecting Pitera Essence’s classic established image, while using new artists to challenge assumptions about it,” said Chocomoo, an illustrator from Japan
“We all have a different way of expressing Pitera, and that’s what’s so exciting about the experience,“ said Kang Hee Kim, a photographer based in New York.
“We wanted to break the mold of stereotype on how the beauty brands should look like and push it to the new dimensions. SK-II Artist Series: Power of Pitera™ is reflective of the exploration I do in my line of work. You should feel a bit uncomfortable & scared because it means that you are pushing yourself,” shared Carol Lim, co-founder and half of the creative duo of Opening Ceremony. “SK-II’s approach was very open which excited us. Usually brands come to us with specific ask but SK-II was different. They really allowed us to unleash our creativity and wanted us to reinterpret this iconic Pitera and brand through our perspective by doing what we do the best.”
Unleashing the power of art to bring a whole new dimension to the skincare retail experience, SK-II launches its first ever art-inspired store design for its Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Ikebukuro flagship outlet in Tokyo. Using manga-inspired design language, SK-II reimagines the legend of Pitera in this popular shopping destination, creating a uniquely Japanskincare retail experience.
This is part of SK-II’s ongoing global innovation journey to transform beauty retail experiences and create a meaningful connection with consumers. While Future X Smart Stores leverage advanced technology to create a more meaningful shopping experience, the SK-II Artist Series (“Art-X”) stores bring to life the Pitera experience in a way that uniquely engages consumers through art.
“Over the years we have partnered with artists to reimagine our iconic Pitera Essence through limited edition designs. We wanted to take this to the next level and push the boundaries. As we like to say in SK-II, if it ain’t broken, break it,” shared Sandeep Seth, Chief Executive Officer, Global SK-II. “To connect with the consumers of this generation, it is no longer about selling products, but engaging her—head, heart and soul and finding new and meaningful ways to do so. Through our partnership with Carol Lim, Han Ram, Ryan Heffington, Toilet Paper and the creative collective of artists, we were able to merge the worlds of beauty and art to completely reimagine our iconic PITERA™ and engage her with our iconic brand story that was not possible before. We were also excited to partner once again with Matsumoto Kiyoshi to bring a unique shopping experience for our consumers, but this time, through art. This represents our on-going commitment to not only make the skincare experience pressure-free but also more meaningful with consumers.”
The SK-II Artist Series: Power Of Pitera” launched globally on November 9 with an exhibition in Shanghai through November 24. The SK-II Artist Series Flagship Store in Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Ikebukuro, Tokyo will open its doors in early December.
