muji, take me away

muji milk bath salt

Not to stoke your fires of insecurity…but you will never be as cool as the japanese.
they of the land of the rising sun posses more cool by 9am than your or I will muster all day. take, for instance, muji – the brand that succeeds by being the very antithesis of branding. never a logo, never a marketing blitz, never a sales pitch with the promise of a better existence through commerce only to be left unfulfilled. nope – just everyday stuff made great by simple design.
i have become obsessed with anything muji.
muji notebooks? check. muji luggage? check. muji dishes, cashemere sweaters, disposable cameras, tortilla chips, underwear and garlic press? check and double check.
my particular product addiction, though, are the muji bath salts (mr. productaddict likes baths, ok.) with scents like lemongrass and grapefruit they are already original, but it’s the milk variety that really stand out. not only do they soften the water and leave a soapy, subtle scent, but a few handfuls and the water turns an instant opaque white. crème de la cool, indeed.
now, here’s the fly in the ointment – while muji stores abound in japan, hong kong, london, paris, and milan…they are not to be found in your local strip mall. the MoMa design store carries an anemic muji assortment, but it’s mostly post-its and pencils. there is buzz of a new york store opening soon, though. check out muji.net for updates.
still worried what your tight wound chums might think of your dairy downtime? go ahead and leave them to their stress. real men soak.

sound investment: 8
does it turn back time?: 6
sensory satisfacton: 10
cool factor: 10
rate of addiction: 8.25