This commanding sculpture encourages women to define beauty on their own terms
BrandedUp in partnership with
Of the artworks on display at one of the manufacturing plants of BEVi Group, it’s the new multi-piece metal sculpture installed on the main lobby wall that clearly commands attention.
Created by modern Filipino visual artist Jinggoy Buensuceso, the sculpture provides a stark contrast to the serene white space that it occupies. With its massive proportions, Okurimono features striking shades of black and red, as well as dramatic distortions reminiscent of crumpled pieces of paper. These pieces form an exciting, modern, and commanding sculpture, inspiring awe to everyone who enters the lobby.
Bold and unapologetic, the sculpture presents a unique point of view by reimagining scraps of paper as compelling and meaningful art. This was a deliberate effort from Jinggoy, a master in molding difficult materials into curious forms to tell a unique story. In Okurimono’s case, each artful fold and twist he made was part of the larger story he wanted the sculpture to tell. Whose story is it? Kojie.san's.
Paving its own way
The beauty brand is celebrating its 15th anniversary this May, and this milestone is the reason and inspiration behind Jinggoy’s creation. It has been an incredible journey for Kojie.san--starting with a single bar of soap to forming their beauty empire, and it’s a story that deserves to be told and remembered.
When it first came out in 2006, Kojie.san was a stranger to most. Standing next to its goliath competitors and entering an overcrowded and highly competitive category that all peddled the same skin lightening techniques and ingredients, Kojie.san was the outlier. Its only product at the time was a bar of soap in bright orange with the then-unfamiliar kojic acid as its active ingredient.
It would’ve been easier for the brand to compromise on their formulations or copy the competition. But being just another copycat soap brand was unacceptable and unimaginable for Kojie.san, so it soldiered on and paved its own way.
Kojie.san proved itself right, becoming a beauty giant playing in different categories with multiple products and a celebrated pioneering figure in kojic acid formulation.
Command beauty
Kojie.san’s unlikely success story served as Jinggoy’s backbone for Okurimono and Red Moon. Upon hearing about the brand’s early years, Jinggoy decided to take a unique and urban perspective in telling—and preserving—Kojie.san’s story using a medium that he knows can best represent the brand spirit.
He saw the power and beauty of the brand’s legacy, the same way he saw grace and art in an unassuming creased piece of origami. In many ways, this is also the message the brand wants to tell its followers: Never mind the status quo. Never let them limit you. Never let them set aside your identity. You can set your own path. You can define your own worth.
Kojie.san has recently adopted the empowering motto, “Command Beauty,” a call for women to define beauty on their own terms—to own their look and thus, rule their world. It’s the same principle that has guided the brand since it entered quietly into the scene 15 years ago. It’s also the mood perfectly captured by Okurimono and Red Moon, a singular way to commemorate a brand that has remained true and faithful to its unique identity.
***
Editor's Note: This article was provided by Kojie.san.
