Responses by Andrea Ciulu, strategist, copywriter and AI specialist; and Matteo Modica, founder and creative director, Sublimio.

Background: maikasui is a premium Japanese hand care brand rooted in nature, tradition and a very specific cultural heritage: the use of rice and sake-derived ingredients that have long been part of Japanese beauty rituals. As part of the brand strategy we developed at Sublimio, the brand speaks to a global female audience—roughly between 25 and 50—who are looking for high-quality, natural hand care products with a strong sense of origin and meaning.

The website was conceived as more than a product showcase. Its purpose is to offer a quiet, immersive glimpse into a day in the life of Japanese women and their beauty routine, with maikasui as a discreet companion. The narrative unfolds across three moments of the day—set in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo—that show how the products naturally fit into everyday life. To reinforce authenticity, the experience is synced with Japan’s timezone, while users can scrub the timeline to explore all moments freely. The goal was to create a cinematic yet intimate experience that reflects the brand’s gentleness and cultural roots.

Design core: The core feature is the interactive timeline paired with cinemagraphs that bring everyday scenes to life. These looping videos allow the user to observe small gestures and rituals without interruption, reinforcing the idea of calm repetition that is central to both sake making and beauty routines.

Stylistically, the website follows the same principles defined in the brand strategy and identity: minimal, natural, soft, feminine and premium. This consistency applies to everything from typography and color palette to motion design and transitions. For us at Sublimio, coherence across all touchpoints is essential in building credible brands, especially in the premium, luxury and lifestyle space.

Favorite details: We are particularly proud of how “alive” the website feels. The synchronization with Japan’s timezone creates a subtle but meaningful connection to the brand’s origin, while the timeline scrubbing invites exploration without forcing a linear path.

The cinemagraphs themselves are central to this feeling. They balance realism and poetry, letting users feel as if they are observing real moments rather than staged scenes. This attention to atmosphere helps translate the brand’s values into a sensory digital experience.

Challenges: One of the main challenges was creating scenes that felt genuinely Japanese and culturally respectful, especially considering we are an Italian studio working on a Japanese brand—even if this is not our first time creating for Japanese brands. Achieving authenticity required sensitivity, research and close collaboration.

From a technical standpoint, designing seamless looping videos that remained lightweight, responsive and adaptable across devices was also complex. Ensuring that the protagonist and the products always remained readable, regardless of screen size, was a key concern throughout development.

Navigation thinking: The client initially wanted a simple overview of the brand and products. We proposed a one-page structure that balances emotional storytelling with functional clarity. By removing unnecessary navigation layers, we allowed the narrative, visuals and interaction to guide the experience naturally. This approach reflects our belief that effective design emerges from a balance between beauty and usability, where storytelling enhances understanding rather than distracting from it.