#Japan #Tokyo #Hair Care #SHIGUSA. #Topawards Asia

SHIGUSA. Achieves Topawards Asia Recognition

SHIGUSA., a professional salon-use hair care and styling brand, has proudly announced its victory at the prestigious Topawards Asia. Founded by Daiki Hanaoka and based in Minato, Tokyo, SHIGUSA's packaging design has been selected for exemplary recognition in this exclusive design competition.

Understanding Topawards Asia

Launched in 2016, Topawards Asia is uniquely structured as an invitation-only awards competition focusing on packaging design from creative talents across Asia. Rather than employing a conventional open-entry submission process, the organizers handpick unique, exceptional works to be judged by a panel of internationally acclaimed designers and creators. This innovative approach allows for the celebration of distinctive talents that might otherwise go unnoticed in more traditional competitions, with an aim to recognize a truly unique package design.

The recipients are proudly featured on the Topawards Asia’s official site and social media platforms, showcasing their groundbreaking designs to a global audience.

Recognizing SHIGUSA.'s Winning Design

Central to SHIGUSA’s brand ethos is the commitment to fuse effective hairstyling with aromatic appeal while ensuring usability for stylists. Traditionally, hairstyling product containers are often prone to becoming messy and sticky during use. Recognizing this hassle, SHIGUSA has developed unique pump designs that are user-friendly. The award-winning products prominently feature an original design inspired by antique bottles, showcasing both visual appeal and functionality.

Tapped into the theme of “luxury antique,” SHIGUSA’s packaging seamlessly integrates into sophisticated settings. The novel pump and container design, combined with textures reminiscent of antique bottles, balances aesthetics and practicality, ensuring that every product stands out on salon shelves.

For more about SHIGUSA’s award-winning design, visit the official Topawards Asia site here.

Creative Minds Behind the Design

The creativity driving the design was led by Hiroki Yasukawa, from ZUAN UNION, while Kotoka Izumi from IN Inc. directed the art and photography. By collaborating closely with professionals in the hairstyling industry, these artists transformed a high-concept vision of functional beauty into a tactile reality. Each expert contributed their specialization, allowing SHIGUSA's unique synergy of functionality and aesthetic vision to come to life, which is also formally credited on the Topawards Asia recognition page.

Hiroki Yasukawa: Chief Creative Officer

Hiroki Yasukawa joined SAMURAI, led by renowned designer Kashiwa Sato, in 2010. After working with numerous major brands, he established ZUAN UNION in 2021. Currently, he serves as a representative director and ongoing contributor to several projects, continuously assembling teams of diverse creators to best tackle each task. As SHIGUSA’s CCO, he has elevated the product design, aligning it with the brand's sophisticated identity.

Kotoka Izumi: Art Director and Photographer

Starting out as an illustrator in 2016, Kotoka Izumi co-founded IN Inc. in 2020. Acknowledged as a photographer, Izumi has worked with various brands, including BARNEYS NEW YORK, bringing a nuanced visual quality to SHIGUSA. The visual expression, deeply embedded with the essence of the brand, significantly enhanced the overall feel and aesthetics of SHIGUSA's products.

Brand Philosophy and Unique Features

SHIGUSA. is designed around the mantra of embedding style retention and aroma into hair; making salon-styling routines more accessible for everyday users. The brand merges professional styling efficiency with user-friendly designs, embodying the thoughtful nuances of beauty professionals.

The series features a specialized formula ideal for heat retention, paired with a citrus-floral woody scent and key ingredients caring for both cuticles and the scalp. The luxurious antique-style packaging evokes the feel of high-end hotels, enhancing its brand identity.

SHIGUSA offers four flagship products:

• - Hard Jelly (250g) - ¥3,080 (including tax)
• - Watery Hair Balm (250g) - ¥3,080 (including tax)
• - Serum-In Hair Milky (250g) - ¥3,080 (including tax)
• - Heat Repair Lock Hair Oil (120mL) - ¥3,080 (including tax)

Recognized on the awards page, these products distinctly represent the SHIGUSA brand.

A Word from SHIGUSA’s Leadership

“It is a great honor for us to get recognized by Topawards Asia. Our goal has always been to balance professional usability in real salon environments with designs that enhance daily aesthetics. Hiroki Yasukawa and Kotoka Izumi have beautifully expressed the brand's essence, pulling from the subtleties that often elude verbal communication. We believe this award signifies our commitment to creating products that add real value to both hairstylists and consumers alike. We will continue to strive for excellence in every product we create,” expressed the SHIGUSA team representative.

With its recent accolades, SHIGUSA is poised to be a significant player in the hair care industry, continuing its journey toward innovation and beauty, making professional styling accessible to all.