Look Inside...
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Intro
Editor’s Letter
Store
Images of Muji shoppers and comments on Muji from the media
Opinion
A multifaceted take on the Muji brand from Professor Ken Kusunoki
Inner Space
Muji’s approach to consumption as defined 124 by its lineup of over 7,000 items
Partners
Past project collaborators remember and 126 reflect on their experiences working with Muji
Opinion
A comprehensive look at Muji houses from designer Kenya Hara, a member of the Muji advisory board
Muji House
The Muji House, a modern living option that draws to mind a catch-all for holding odds and ends
Opinion
Identifying and understanding Muji style with Yu Yamada, director of creative agency Method
Muji Style
City dwellers whose conceptions of style align with the ideas of Muji
Mujirer
Glimpses of Muji products as they are actually used
Found Muji
Found Muji, a project devoted to finding and recognizing “Mujiness”
B’s Cut
Observing what makes Muji products distinct
Brand Story
The story behind the birth and growth of Muji
100 Good Things
Examples of how Muji has given back to the community and supported the environment
HQ
Muji headquarters in Japan, where the brand philosophy is a part of life
Advisory Board
Muji’s key consultative body of five outside creative directors
Communication
The history of Muji as seen through its simple print advertisements
Abroad
Exploring Muji’s overseas sales strategy and experiences with Director of East Asia Business, Satoshi Shimizu
Masaaki Kanai
An interview with Masaaki Kanai, chairman of Ryohin Keikaku
Figures
Muji by the numbers
Outro
Description
Intended to be a generic line for the Seiyu Supermarket Group, Muji was launched in Japan in 1980, as Mujirushi Ryohin, which means “no-brand quality goods.” Having initially started out with just 40 products, Muji now sells more than 7,000 different items and has successfully expanded into the housing business, proving that a brand can indeed sell a lifestyle aesthetic.
Muji itself is a language. If you presume that people living in an advanced civilization and society with advanced technology want to enjoy a life of human decency, nature itself becomes a language. All the answers we’re looking for are found in nature. We used the word “mujirushi” (no brand) to mean “nature as it is,” and this helped us stop doing unnecessary things.
Kazuko Koike, Creative director and copywriter
With Muji, they aren’t so much expanding their product classes to keep up with trends as they’re continuing to commercialize their philosophy. When Muji comes out with homes, food, good books, that isn’t indiscriminate expansion — it’s the product of their ideas. And consumers seem to understand Muji’s spirit from their products.
Ken Kusunoki, Professor of Hitotsubashi University
Pairs nicely with Magazine B: Hay, Magazine B: IKEA
Additional information
| Weight | 380 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 10 × 8 × 1 in |
| Publisher | JOH |
| Pages | 148 |
| Size | 6.69 X 9.45in |
| Issue # | 72 |
