OUR STORY

A few years ago we found ourselves moving to Japan, a new and exciting land of colour, quirky cuteness, and culture. We were always fascinated with its customs, language and creative side, and embraced it as our new home. A couple of years ago our life brought us back to Toronto, Canada. During the time away we came to love and adore the things we saw and experienced over there, missing them immensely upon our return. 

You know what they say, home is where your heart is. Our heart was still in Japan, and we wanted our new home to reflect that. And so we started collecting our favourite Japanese things, adding them to our home and making it feel alive with the spirit of the home we left behind. This worked great at first. But soon we started to run out of space—limited by the shelving, storage and display units. All that was left were our walls. As graphic designers we knew we could fix that. And so our very first Daruma print was born. It was cute, bold in colour, and bright in personality—everything that’s so Japanese. What a difference it made!

This first Daruma print we created gave us the idea to share our love for Japanese things with the world. We imagined our prints to be bright, colourful, and modern, yet traditional in the subject matter. Growing up in the 90s, Japanese modern culture had a great impact on our childhoods. We believe we are not alone in this, and there are others who would share in our sentiment. So if you already love Japan or you are just getting to know it, at PICA Things We Love—a growing* print collection of our favourite Japanese things—there is definitely something for you. Enjoy!

* With many more prints to come. :)
 

UPDATE: In the end of 2016 we made a grand decision to return and settle in Yokohama, Japan. With inspiration now literally at our doorstep, the creative future for PICA is boundless!

We leave no wall behind with our one-of-a-kind pixel-perfect illustrations.

ALYONA POLIANSKAIA
Owner, Designer, Illustrator

I design and illustrate. Love creating design meets art works. Love watching shows, playing console games, photography, studying Mandarin, and perfecting Japanese in spare time.

Moscow, Russia born. Toronto, Canada raised.

ROBBY OENTORO
Owner, Designer, Typographer

I typeset all our typography. Love cooking and discovering new and exciting food shows.

Hong Kong born. Toronto, Canada raised.