Muji is not just a design store—it’s a cult design store; those who buy there don’t consume, they own. Thirty-six years after it was founded in Japan to counter the growing consumerist, brand-conscious culture, Muji will set up base in India next month, starting with a store in Mumbai, and another in Bengaluru in September.

Mujirushi Ryohin (which translates to “no brand, good value"), or Muji for short, began small, with around 40 home and food items. Now, their range includes everything from stationery to apparel, furniture, cosmetics and packaged curries. What really defines Muji is its design philosophy—simplicity and minimalism—which requires great complexity of thought.

Take, for instance, the right-angle sock. Most manufacturers mass-produce socks at a 120-degree angle at the heel in a one-shape-fits-all attempt. Muji, big on shapes that fit our lives—and inspired in 2006 by a Czech grandmother who knitted sensible 90-degree socks—changed its manufacturing process to produce right-angle socks that don’t ride up the heel or bunch up under the sole. Result? A sock that really fits.

Muji will open at the Palladium mall, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Mumbai, in August and VR Bengaluru, Mahadevpura, Whitefield Main Road, Bengaluru, in September.

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