Day 13: MUJI in America (emptiness = flexibility)

Muji sock, Muji International Design Competition 03

“Like an empty Japanese tea room where the appreciation happens between the tea maker and her guest, MUJI brand is like an empty vessel, ready to be filled with your thoughts and imagination…‘Emptiness’ equals ‘non-being’, thus, it leaves room for ‘flexibility’.”
- Kenya Hara, MUJI’s creative director (full article)

I dig MUJI.

The name ‘MUJI’ is derived from ‘Mujirushi Ryohin’, Japanese for “no label, quality goods. Their new store just opened in Times Square.

Here's their spiel in their own words:

"MUJI: It's about designing your own life – not someone else's. It's a belief that simple is better than complicated. And it's the knowledge that real simplicity is always the result of openness and honesty. MUJI products spring from a commitment to moderation in all things except quality – and from the confident awareness that modesty and discretion are, together, the better part of style."

5 principles for co-existence with the earth
sublime ad campaign (in japanese)

what is muji?