Back to our origins, into the future

Cleaning of every nook and cranny – this is the foundation of comfort in traditional Japanese homes and gardens. No matter how luxurious, an environment that is not clean is not comfortable. Simple surroundings – whether home or garden – that are cleaned spick and span, on the other hand, are pleasant and beautiful. We dust the shelves and the wooden frames of the sliding paper doors, we carefully sweep the floor. We remove our shoes to go inside, so naturally the home stays clean. We put away our things and our bedding when we don’t need them. Minimalist rather than showy is thought to be more pleasant: a simply and sparsely furnished living room has long been considered preferable.

Maybe MUJI is like cleaning. The pictures show some of MUJI’s standard items. Since their creation, each has gone through gradual improvements to arrive at the consummately clean, neat look it has today. Each change has been modest, but over time, the numerous innovations have built on basics and universality.

MUJI was established thirty years ago, in 1980, with the idea of completely eliminating wastefulness. At that time, Japan enjoyed a prosperous economy, and expensive international brands were all the rage, while at the other end of the spectrum, cheap, inferior products hit the market. The MUJI concept was born as a criticism of this state of affairs – a fresh look at quality and price of truly useful quality goods with a no-label philosophy.

It all started with careful selection of materials, streamlined processes and simplified packaging. The concept of rationalizing products by totally eliminating wastefulness, and at the same time making them more attractive, is at the heart of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Since ancient times, the nature of core elements has been fundamental to the Japanese appreciation of beauty. Simplicity does not mean merely austerity; its appeal can be greater than that of luxury. And in an age when individuality and individual preference rule, eliminating precisely these qualities allows customers to find their own uses for products, giving free reign to individuality.

Not a fancy towel, but a useful towel. Socks with right angles like feet. Comfortable sheets for a comfortable bed. Beautifully simple bicycles. Functional but never boring writing accessories. Cutlery that fits your hand like a glove. These are some of MUJI’s products.

MUJI has grown in its exploration of the day-to-day role of products that are natural, no-name, simple and environmental – items that are beautiful in their simplicity, dignified in their unpretentiousness. The path MUJI has taken was not forged by MUJI alone, but through continuous communication with each and every one of the customers who have given us their support. The MUJI of today is the fruit of thirty years of interaction with our customers.

Last year we initiated an internal research program in our aim to provide even better quality goods. This laboratory, which we call the Quality Products for Everyday Life Research Center, is a space where we engage in dialogue with customers in MUJI stores and online to develop products and discover pleasant ways of living that make people around the world say, “This will suffice.”

We look forward to brainstorming together with you, our customers, to conceptualize quality for a new era, as we go back to our origins, into the future.