NICENESS takes inspiration from cultures around the world, building each season's collection while traveling through places tied to the theme. This year, photographer Piczo—who has journeyed across many cities with the brand—moved from London, his longtime base, back to his hometown of Osaka. By chance or fate, NICENESS’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection was shaped around the spirit of modern mingei: the ongoing dialogue between Japanese tradition and experimentation. The timing was perfect, and the campaign came to life in Japan, with Piczo once again behind the lens.

In the late 1990s, a young Piczo left the familiar streets of Osaka to dive into the cultural epicenter of Tokyo. Before the internet absorbed the world, Tokyo was a city of vibrant collision—information and culture swirling freely, intensely. Every sight sparkled with newness, every moment pulsed with change. Revisiting that time from a present-day perspective, Piczo captures the quiet “distortion” that exists between past and present—the emotional residue of one era viewed through the clarity of another.

Accompanied by Shoya, a fellow Osaka native, this journey echoes the ancient route of the Tōkaidō—the 53 stations that once connected Osaka to Edo. From the serene hometown landscapes to the electric sprawl of Tokyo, their path follows the contours of memory, shaped by Japan’s natural and urban thresholds. Mount Fuji, visible along the way, becomes a symbol of the space between.

The SS26 collection reflects the spirit found in the works of Japanese masters such as Kanjiro Kawai’s ceramics and Kokuta Suda’s calligraphy—craft that fuses functionality with profound emotion. Through Piczo’s gaze, this philosophy is reinterpreted as visual narrative. Together, they reveal a subtle aesthetic of distortion—emerging in the interplay between memory, landscape, and the living body.

Creative Direction & Photography : Piczo Art Direction : Kenji Ishiki (Vowel Inc.) Model : Shoya (CINQ DEUX UN) Styling : NICENESS Team Production : Vowel Inc.