L’Oréal-controlled Japanese beauty brand Shu Uemura hosted a spectacular ‘crafted in Japan’ adventure in Tokyo on 28-29 August to celebrate the launch of the first travel retail-exclusive collection, #CraftedInJapan.
The #CraftedInJapan limited edition, which will be exclusively available in selected travel retail locations from 15 September, consists of the brand’s bestsellers – Hard Formula, Petal 55 Foundation Brush and Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil.
The brand house noted that, due to Tokyo representing the roots and inspiration of Shu Uemura, the city was the perfect location to tell the story of Japanese makeup artistry and craftsmanship.
Ten top KOLs from China and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region were invited to embark on a two-day adventure to explore Japanese craftsmanship – both in modernity and tradition.
On day one, the KOLs embraced contemporary Tokyo by riding on an open-top double-decker bus to different craftsmanship workshops. They enjoyed a Japanese tea tasting served in wine bottles and glasses – a modern craft to capture the essence of Japanese tea. As part of the experience, they also created their own Furoshiki (a traditional wraping cloth) with artistic Japanese dye and patterns that represent national culture – finishing their works off with the familiar red Shu Uemura logo.
As “edgy makeup addicts”, the KOLs experienced pigment making to re-create the Shu Uemura signature perfect purest red – RD163 – with precise colour craftsmanship.
That night, a dinner was hosted for the KOLs to sample fine food and look over the Tokyo nightscape at the Mandarin Oriental Tapas Bar in Nihonbashi.
Shu Uemura International Executive Vice President Sandrine Jolly; Shu Uemura International Deputy General Manager Lucien Baraban; and and L’ Oréal General Manager Travel Retail Asia Pacific for Giorgio Armani, Shu Uemura, Atelier Cologne & Fragrances Tony Khajenouri welcomed the KOLs and invited them to spread the spirit of Japanese craft to their followers.
Shu Uemura International Chief Make-up Artist Kakuyasu Uchiide and certified make-up artists demonstrated looks from the new range and also shared the make-up trends for Autumn/Winter 2019.
On day two, the KOLs embraced traditional Japanese craftsmanship in Happo-en Garden, a harmonious traditional Japanese garden. Here, they indulged in a tea ceremony served in the ancient teahouse overlooking the garden.
They also learned the story behind key products in the #CraftedInJapan range, had the chance to craft their own Petal 55 brush, discovered the qualities that make up Ultime8 Cleansing Oil and mastered how to transform Hard Formula into its well-known naginata shape.
The brand owner noted: “Throughout these two days, KOLs experienced the essence of Japanese craftsmanship in modernity and tradition. They were impressed by the Japanese craftsmanship of the three limited-edition products. The #craftedinjapan story of Shu Uemura has been shared across major social media.”
