SK-II STUDIO, a film studio owned by the global skincare brand SK-II, has released a new animated anthology series entitled VS in collaboration with the world's top athletes. It features six stories with athletes taking on pressures that threaten to dictate their destiny in order to #CHANGEDESTINY.  

The Animations

  ‘VS Trolls’ featuring Simone Biles

  ‘VS Obsession’ featuring Liu Xiang

  ‘VS Pressure’ featuring Kasumi Ishikawa

  ‘VS Rules’ featuring Mahina Maeda

  ‘VS Limitations’ featuring Hinotori Nippon

  'VS Machines' featuring Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo

  SK-II STUDIO's VS series is a collection of six animated films based on the life experiences of six Olympic athletes: Simone Biles, the gymnast who has won the most medals worldwide; LiuXiang, a world-record swimmer; Ishikawa Kasumi, table tennis player and two-time Olympic medalist; Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo, badminton duo and Olympic gold medalists; Mahina Maeda, surfer; and Hinotori Nippon, the Japan women's national volleyball team. Each athlete explores what it means to take destiny in their own hands, overcoming societal expectations that dictate how perfect we should look and act. Each short film explores a different societal pressure experience by women: online trolls, pressure from those around us, looks, rules on what's considered beautiful, limitations imposed by others, and seeking perfection like machines. Each is represented as a 'kaiju,' a form of giant monster seen in Japanese movies. The VR series combines animation with live-action woven together through multiple genres like sci-fi, action, sports, and more. It invites award-winning studios on board including Imaginary Forces, Passion Pictures, Platige Image, and C3, as well as original music by guest artists John Legend, Lexie Liu, and others. The animated series released worldwide on May 1, 2021 on SK-II's official  YouTube channel. A virtual premiere was also held on the brand's Twitter page, and an in-person premiere took place in Hainan, China with a pop-up store at Haitang Bay Duty Free Shopping Centre in Sanya in partnership with China Duty Free Group. It also saw the opening of SK-II City, a virtual city built by SK-II where visitors can watch all six films in a the virtual SK-II Cinema. It's also home to the SK-II Mall where users can buy products, and they can also enjoy a backstage tour of SK-II STUDIO. SK-II STUDIO was established in March this year in an effort to further promote SK-II's #CHANGEDESTINY campaign to support female empowerment over social pressures. The VR series comes as part of this with a string of positive messages.

Kate Spade New York is set to drop a limited-edition handbag collection in collaboration with their recently-appointed global ambassador Naomi Watanabe on November 25, 2020.   Naomi Watanabe is a Japanese comedian, actor, and fashion designer who is representing Kate Spade New York for 2020. Her collection with the brand is a celebration of women and loving life. It has a bright and positive face to it, making the Naomi Watanabe, who's career is centred on inspiring people with positivity, the perfect face of the collaboration.

<naomi watanabe x kate spade new york capsule collection> From Left: large tote in dark orchid ¥53,000 (H28 x W40 x D20cm), medium camera bag in deep umber ¥35,000 (H12 x W18 x D4cm), micro camera bag in pomegranate juice and dark orchid ¥15,000 (H8 x W11 x D4cm) (All pre-tax prices)

The capsule collection features three handbag styles branded with the iconic interlocking spade symbol. The dark orchard tote bag is made from curled fur comes as a stylish over-sized pick.。   The medium and micro-sized camera bags come with a cross-body strap so can be conveniently carried hands-free. They come in two vivid colours, deep umber and pomegranate juice, which are fitting for the coming holiday season.   All three designs are fitted with special tags with Watanabe's sign printed on them.

Check out the promotional video for the collection.  

Naomi Watanabe | Comment

"As soon as we did the shoot for the first campaign, I knew I wanted to continue this partnership with Kate Spade. Things kind of naturally went in that direction which led to this collaboration. I went on to talk about the collection with Nicola, and we both knew we wanted to incorporate colour and humour into it, as well as positivity about life. That's where this collection came from."

Global skincare brand SK-II launched three 'Street Art Limited Edition' versions of their Facial Treatment Essence on October 21, 2020 and released a commercial to promote them. SK-II is a Japanese cosmetics brand which launched 40 years ago. Since its establishment, it has been enjoyed by women the world over for its range of high quality skin care products, including Pitera™, the brand's award-winning facial treatment essence. This same essence is being released once again in three limited-edition versions featuring street art packaging.   The promotional video for the item stars Japanese actress Haruka Ayase, American actress Chloë Grace Moretz, and Chinese singer-songwriter Leah Dou. The video was directed by Grammy-nominated director Andrew Thomas Huang who has directed music video for such talent as Bjork and Thomas Yorke. The three stars in the video each sing Fantasy by Mariah Carey in their respective languages: Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Facial Treatment Essence Street Art Limited Edition (Red/Yellow/White) | ¥22,000 Each (Before Tax)

The packaging designs for the limited-edition product feature a combination of the Japanese furoshiki wrapping cloth style and street art.

Japanese makeup artist brand Shu Uemura has invited Naomi Watanabe on board as the global ambassador for the launch of the new colour and packaging for their "Rouge Unlimited Amplified" lipstick which will hit shelves on September 16, 2020.   Rouge Unlimited Amplified looks to amplify the user's lip experience with its bold colours. The collection will see a range of updated colours and packaging, including the brown "BR 784 Naomi's redwood."   In the promotion for the lipstick, Naomi Watanabe has donned the "Rouge Unlimited Amplified Matte AM BR 784."

Naomi Watanabe | Comment

"This is a really beautiful colour and gives you a personalised look that you don't see with other lipsticks. You can use it pretty much anywhere, whether at the office or at a party. As long as you wield this lipstick, you can go anywhere, and do anything."   Naomi Watanabe is a fashion icon in Japan, promoting positivity and letting people know they can wear whatever makeup and clothing they like. Her message ties in with Shu Uemura's core concept of individual beauty.

Rouge Unlimited Amplified Matte AM BR 784

The "BR 784 Naomi’s redwood" was specially developed to bring out the tones in the skin of those in Asia. It's a tailor-made brown inspired by reddish-brown, a popular colour trend. Adding a reddish tinge makes it contrast well against the skin and makes it possible to wear it on any occasion. The brown hue adds a sense of sophistication and balances out the red, so you can wear it both casually and formally. Four different textures of the "BR 784" are available to purchase.

Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe uploaded a music video parody of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's song Rain on Me. The original song was released on May 22, 2020 and features on Gaga's latest studio album Chromatica. It went on to reach No. 1 on weekly charts across the globe, and its music video has over 160 million views on YouTube (as of July 2020).   Lady Gaga “Rain On Me with Ariana Grande” Official Parody

Naomi Watanabe explained that she felt incredible power from Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande when Rain on Me dropped back in May. She described the "motherly presence [of Gaga] that greatly envelops me." In the parody music video, Watanabe plays the part of Lady Gaga while comedian Yuriyan Retriever takes up the role of Ariana Grande. The music video was shot after the state of emergency was lifted in Japan. It was directed by Daisuke Ninomiya, who has worked on many music videos for many big artists in Japan such as Daichi Miura and Sandaime J Soul Brothers. It was shot in collaboration with makeup artists, stylists, and manicurists who are close with Watanabe. The music video plays up Watanabe's iconic comedy while still managing to be as thrilling as the original music video. Speaking about the music video, Naomi Watanabe said: "I thought it would be amusing to shoot this video as close as possible to the original, and because I like parodies, so we really went all-out with the little details." The music video parody received praise from Lady Gaga's production team for its quality. It currently has 2.5 million views on YouTube (as of July 2020). Check it out and be sure to compare it with the original.

The second cosmetic collection produced by Naomi Watanabe for the Tokyo-based makeup brand Shu Uemura―called the "naomi for shu uemura collection"―will be released in limited supplies from July 20. The collection includes two colours each of Shu Uemura's hugely popular satin lipsticks Rouge Unlimited and their velvety Rouge Unlimited Matte. It also includes two colours from their Glow On F which gently blends with the skin and change one's look in an instant. The blush is served in a limited edition custom case.   From a sublime colour that draws out the charm of a person tenfold to another trend colour that elevates the face to its peak, Watanabe produced each of these original colours from nothing and Shu Uemura manufactured them. This is also the first blush Watanabe has ever produced.   The collection comes as the long-awaited sequel to Uemura's first collaboration with Shu Uemura when she was appointed an ambassador of the brand. The line-up exhibits Watanabe's drive to keep on evolving and is an expression of herself today. What Watanabe was focused on with this collection was ensuring each item easy to use and incorporate into looks while also making a range of exquisite colours you cannot get anywhere else. For example, the deep killer red colour "no.1" is laced with gold glitter to give a shimmering finish to those lips.   "unfollower" balances red and yellow with the saturation altered to create a unique orange that makes your lips the standout feature of your makeup. This colour is perfect when combined with summery eye makeup. The blush serves to bring out your peak adult beauty in a super easy fashion. It's for those people who are able to create gorgeous eye makeup but aren't quite skilled at their cheeks yet. "amber sophistication" doesn't highlight your cheeks too much but gives just enough to leave you looking sophisticated and urban. "bellini innocence" gives your cheeks a pure look with its coral colour that blends into your skin with its slightly more sweeter-looking appearance. Naomi Watanabe published a comment regarding her collection: "Hello, everyone! I'm Naomi Watanabe! This summer, I am collaborating with Shu Uemura again to release a section collection! I am super happy to say that we have been able to deliver you all a product that we have confidence in. I hope that through this collaboration with Shu Uemura we can help all those people who treasure each day have the confidence to live life their way. I also hope this lends a little support to your makeup potential. Let's all be happy and radiate this summer!!"