Blame it on the MUJI

The events that took place on 11 March 2011 in Japan were a wake up call for many people. 20,000 died and hundreds of thousands were stranded without homes. This major disaster served as an eye opener for Japan: it made people appreciate the everyday things that surround us and those moments that make up day-to-day living. The earthquake raised questions about the increasing concerns around excessive consumption of goods and sustainability.

“Eat in measure and defy the doctor” is an old Japanese saying – by eating moderately or stopping before we feel completely full we reap health benefits. The key to health is to eat the adequate or fit amount; if we reduce our measures from 100% to 80% we will create a joyful, balance and healthy life. This saying was the inspiration for the Design Museum’s latest exhibition Product Fitness 80.

MUJI has always intented to design products that are truly fit for their purpose. Monozukuri, is a Japanese word for craftsmanship. For MUJI it is just that, making products wrought with craftsmanship. With their minimalistic approach, even MUJI felt their need to renew their definition of monozukuri, to be in harmony with society and the Earth. This was why MUJI decided to create the Product Fitness 80 exhibition. The exhibition aims to reflect MUJI’s willingness to educate themselves and ourselves by renewing our own adequacy and fitness, as their message to the world.

Walking into the Product Fitness 80 felt like taking a step into Japan. MUJI have a special ability to preserve Japanese culture at its best with everything they touch and this was also shown in the exhibition. Less is more. With small measures it was easy to see how they revalued the way we use things and how those items are manufactured. One good example of that is the ‘towel with further options’ – by giving the towel segments it could be cut and changed for its purpose. If the towel has a stain, it can easily be transformed by using the path of the segments and cut it into another size. The ‘box cutter 80’ was another good example, by decreasing the distance between the break-off sections, the blade will last longer and each blade will be sharper more times. Small changes with a big impact, that makes us stick to our objects longer.

If you want step in to the world of Japan and understand how MUJI think, don’t miss out on this opportunity.

Product Fitness 80 shows at the Design Museum, until March 18.