MUJI european flagship store in Paris
@forum les halles
MUJI open its first European flagship store in Paris in the very heart of the city, at Place Carrée, in the Forum des Halles shopping center soon rehabilitated. The new Forum is an international tourist destination as well as a central location for living and shopping, MUJI’s European flagship will have a surface area of 900 m2.
The store will be merchandised with classic MUJI lifestyle products as well as newer ranges, such as MUJI Labo. It will be the European platform for new concepts that will be developed exclusively: Found MUJI and MUJI Kids.
MUJI was born in Japan in the early 1980s, based on a philosophy positioned between the nascent luxury market in Japan and the daily, cheap products. The word MUJI translated into Japanese is “Mujirushi Ryohin,” which means “no brand, quality goods.”
MUJI offers a minimal, simplistic alternative to the dominant culture of brand and logo consumption. MUJI products are designed in compliance with a strict concept, which has been unchanged since its inception: a clean, functional design which eliminates any unnecessary decoration or packaging; basic and neutral colors that blend in every environment; a good quality / price balance and complete ranges to match the needs of all aspects of daily life. The value of a product is in the product design itself, not in the name of its designer.
You enter the European flagship under an impressive solid wood structure, designed with reference to the structure of the old japanese tea houses. Further to the right, on an urban background of grey bricks is the MUJI to GO concept and the newest concept: Found MUJI.
In front of it, the till point stretches in front of an assembly of metal sheets, cut tubes and grids with subtle shades of gray. Wood schelves for home products and iron back wall with glass schelves for fashion.
Each month, Found MUJI organise an exhibition sale around a country or a theme with an exclusive selection of everyday objects that are simple and modest. These artisanal or industrial products, from the past or made today, are a testament to the creativity and the diversity of design in everyday life.
This approach to “find” original items and compare them to contemporary products. Naoto Fukasawa, an explorer and a member of the MUJI think tank, has initiated this movement and led the teams with this instilled curiosity and desire to “find”.
To celebrate the arrival of Found Muji in Paris, merci designed an exhibition and a selection of cookware, testament to the quality of the design of the French.
Craftsmen or factory workers knowledge is sometimes centuries old, but these objects and techniques are still alive and ready to be used every day - in the kitchen or at the table, in Paris or in Tokyo.
Merci, true to his quest for objects used for everyday life, chose to focus on objects of everyday cooking. We can talk about biodiversity for design in the same way that we talk about plants. Today, many craftsmen still use old, original skills and continue to produce for enthusiasts of quality items.
To accompany MUJI opening in the French capital, three artists have been invited to create artwork and deliver their vision of the opening event. The artists will include Jean-Michel Alberola, Paul Cox and Philip Weisbecker.
Limited edition lithographs were also printed at the Montparnasse printing art workshop IDEM, using printing methods from the late 19th century and preserved to this day in this unique workshop.
