Where Beauty Meets Attitude.
KATE Tokyo
Cosmetics Styling & Shooting
Redefining Beauty Through an Authentic, Local Lens.
Deliverables:
Art Direction . Social Media Post Design (Instagram, Facebook) . Product Photo Shooting . Photo Retouching & Adaptation
KATE is a globally recognized Japanese cosmetics brand, known for its bold, high-contrast aesthetic. For their Hong Kong market campaign, I was tasked with localizing brand visuals to bridge KATE’s signature drama with Hong Kong’s urban beauty culture.
The challenge was to stay true to KATE’s edgy DNA while creating imagery that resonated with the local audience’s daily lifestyle and emotional context.
My Role: Creative Direction · Product Styling · Socia; Media Post Design · Photo Shooting & Editing
Tools Used: Photoshop . Illustrator · Lightroom
Visual Execution
Visual Execution
Art Direction & Photography: Directed and shot visuals using natural light and minimalist sets to highlight intimacy and authenticity.
Stylistic Blend: Combined raw street textures and stylish backdrops with KATE’s bold graphic accents, reflecting both urban energy and the brand’s signature intensity.
Scroll-Stopping Content: Produced social-first assets that blurred the line between editorial and lifestyle—built to drive engagement and brand relevance in digital placements.
Campaign Concept
Expressive Eyes Behind the Mask
During the height of the pandemic, I identified a cultural insight: with masks covering half the face, eyes became the most powerful form of expression. From this, I proposed and developed the campaign idea—“Even behind the mask, your eyes can still look stunning.”
This reframing turned a limitation into an opportunity for creativity.
The concept positioned makeup not just as beauty, but as resilience, self-expression, and empowerment in uncertain times.
Results
The campaign successfully localized KATE’s striking global identity into high-impact, culturally resonant visuals that connected deeply with Hong Kong’s beauty audience. By aligning creative storytelling with local lifestyle trends, the campaign achieved a 35% increase in social engagement, 45% higher click-through rates, and strengthened brand recognition among younger consumers—reinforcing KATE’s position as an edgy, expressive beauty brand in the region.