Ryohin Keikaku Co.,Ltd. (株式会社良品計画, Kabushiki-gaisha Ryōhin Keikaku) (TYO: 7453), or MUJI (無印良品, Mujirushi Ryōhin) is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods.
Muji is distinguished by its design minimalism, emphasis on recycling, avoidance of waste in production and packaging, and no-logo or "no-brand" policy.
The name Muji is derived from the first part of Mujirushi Ryōhin, translated as No Brand Quality Goods on Muji's European website [1].
Muji started with 40 products and now includes more than 7,000 products. Muji products range from stationary, and clothing for men and women, to food items and major kitchen appliances. Its primary business includes Café MUJI, Meal MUJI, MUJI Campsite, florist and home furnishing; the company has recently taken steps into housing construction.
Muji is positioned as a "reasonably priced" high quality, keeping the retail prices of products "lower than usual" by the materials it selects, streamlining its manufacturing processes, and minimising packaging.[1]
Muji began as a product brand of the supermarket chain The Seiyu, Ltd. in December 1980. Starting as Mujirushi (no brand) Ryohin (quality goods) the Muji product range was developed to offer cheap good quality products and were marketed using the slogan “Lower priced for a reason.” Products were wrapped in clear cellophane, plain brown paper labels and red writing. Muji's drive to cut retail prices for consumers saw the company cutting waste by for example selling U-shaped spaghetti, the that is normally join that is cut off to make spaghetti straight.[2] [3]
In 1989 Ryohin Keikaku Ltd became the manufacturer and retailer for all Muji products and operations. Including planning, development, production, distribution and sale.
In 1983 the first directly operated Muji store opened. In 1985 Muji started overseas production and procurement, started to place direct factory orders in 1986 and in 1987 Muji started to develop material globally.
In 1991 Muji opened its first international store in London, UK.
In 1995 shares in “MUJI Tsunan Campsite” were registered as over-the-counter shares of Japan Securities Dealers Association. 1998 Muji listed on the second section of the the Tokyo Stock Exchange. From 2001 onwards Muji was listed on the first section. [4]
In addition to its large and small retail outlets in Japan, MUJI has 3 factory outlets at Osaka, Gotenba and Fukuoka.[5]
In Japan Muji has directly operated 181 stores and supplies 147 outlets, as of end February 2008.[6]
International retail outlets as of end February 2008 include UK (16), France (7), Italy (3), Germany (2), Ireland (1), Sweden (6), Norway (6), Spain (3), US (1), Hong Kong (6), Singapore (3), Taiwan (11), Korea (6), China (1), and Thailand (4).[7]
In New York Muji supplies products to a design store at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as maintaining a flagship store. [8] The store chain has 285 stores in Japan, employing around 3400 employees.[9]
Muji's no-brand strategy means that the little money is spent on advertisement or classical marketing and Muji's success is attributed to the word of mouth, a simple shopping experience and the anti-brand movement. Muji's no-brand strategy also means its products are attractive to customers who prefer unbranded products for purely aesthethic reasons. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Muji has released a t-shirt with a rubber square on the chest for customer to design their own logo or message.[14]
Although the company styles itself as a brandless brand, some of its most popular designs are thought to be by well known and established product designers.
The protagonist of William Gibson's 2003 novel Pattern Recognition, being allergic to brands and corporate logos, wears clothing from MUJI.
Muji is known for its distinctive design, which is continued throughout its more than 7,000 products. Commentators have described Muji's design style as having mundanity[15], being "no-frills" and being "minimalist porn".[16]
Muji product design, and brand identity, is based around the selection of materials, a streamlined manufacturing processes, and minimal packaging. Muji products have a limited colour range and are displayed on shelves with minimal packaging, displaying only functional product information and a price tag.[17]
On its corporate website Ryohin Keikaku Ltd rationalises these principles in terms of producing high quality products at "lower than usual" retail prices, true to the original Muji marketing slogan "lower priced for a reason".[18][19] On its Catalogue website Muji states that "at the heart of Muji design is the Japanese concept of "Kanketsu", the concept of simplicity", aiming to "bring a quiet sense of calm into strenuous everyday lives."[20] In an interview Hiroyoshi Azami, President of Muji USA, describes Muji's design culture as centred around designing "simple" products that are basic and necessary. [21].
In its design Muji also follows environmental guidelines, seeking to "restrict the use of substances that may have a significant impact on people or the environment" and "reduce waste by standardising modules, facilitating disassembly and by reducing packaging".[22]
The Muji design process resists technology and prototypes are produced with paper rather than computers, so as not to encourage unnecessary detail.[23] The manufacturing process is determined on the basis of the consumer's use of the product, which in turn is a design priority. Finishes, lines and forms are minimalised for manufacturing ease.[24]
Muji products are not attributed to individual designers. Muji has publicly stated that some of its products have been the works of famous international designers, although it does not disclose which ones.[25] Nevertheless commentators have linked certain Muji products with named designers: the "Wall Mounted CD player" is said to be designed by Naoto Fukasawa of Plus Minus Zero, the "2nd Phone", Muji playing cards and dominos are said to be designed by Sam Hecht of Industrial Facility, and a teapot/crockery set is said to be designed by the Azumis.[26]
Muji participates in design colaborations with other companies. In 2001 Muji and Nissan Motors produce the Muji Car 1000. This fuel efficient, low-emission and low-cost limited edition, aimed to incorporate recycled materials wherever possible and had limited polish. Following Muji's no-brand strategy the car had no logos. [27]
The firts art director of Muji was Ikko Tanaka. In 2001 Kenya Hara, an internationally recognized graphic designer and curator, took over. He stated that:
"I found that the company was at a standstill with the original idea, 'No design', which was advocated at its inception. They also had more than 250 outlets and sold more than 5,000 items, including products that deviated from the initial Muji concept or were low cost, but of substandard quality."[28]
Kenya Hara has been credited as key figure in the development of the Muji brand and design.[29] Hara has a background in graphic design, hence had experience in designing packaging and corporate identities,[30], but beyond that he is credited with significantly moulding the Muji brand and design identity. In an interview in 2005 Hara stated that "Everything in the world has become an object of interest for me. Everything is designed."[31] Hara has published books on design philosophy, most recently "Designing Design".[32]
Sam Hecht, Creative Director of Muji Europe, is quoted as saying "The human is not the centre of everything, but on the same level of everything."[33]
In 2005 Muji was awarded five gold product design awards by the International Forum Design in Germany.[34]
In 2006 Muji held its first international design competition, “MUJI AWARD 01”.[35] In 2007 Chen Jiaojiao published a book on Muji design and brand entitled "Brands A-Z: Muji"
The New York Times reports that the Japanese call Muji-fans “Mujirers”. Muji's international stores and The Muji Catalogue mainly retail Muji home consumer goods, furniture and clothing, Muji in Japan has established a presence in sectors, including food, bicycles, campsites, phones, yoga, florists, cafes, and concept houses.[36]
Commentators have described Muji as a "way of life"[37] [38]