Calling out all my Miniso fam who spend a bulk of their salary on cute sleeping masks and cushions, because, why the hell not? A mix of meaningful functionality and graceful designs, the mad collection at this variety store is worth all the rage.
Till now, gathering from its design and label, a majority of us used to believe that it’s a Japanese brand. However, some speculation regarding its origins has gained momentum over the years on social media.
Wikipedia describes it as “a Chinese low-cost retailer and variety store chain”.
Co-founded by Japanese designer Miyake Jyunya and Chinese entrepreneur Ye Guofu, in 2011, Miniso has headquarters in Guangzhou, China.
Put on your curious caps though, ’cause this is where it gets interesting…
The company describes itself as a ‘Japanese designer brand’. But, apparently, Miniso has only 4 stores in Japan, whereas some 1100 in China. Say whaa…?!
For a store that calls itself a Japanese brand, it seems kinda odd that the retail chain has only 4 stores in Japan. In fact, it has over 25 stores in India itself. Curioser and curioser.
Also, did ya know they are planning to expand the number of stores in India from some 26 to 800? Not that we are complaining, though.
Miyake Jyunya tells The Straits Times,
“It is funny how the strategic partnership and high performance of Miniso in China has overshadowed the business in Japan. I do wish to see Miniso become more successful in Japan, but I find it even more exciting to share the Japanese design philosophy with people around the world.”
What’s more? The Japanese spelling of the brand says ‘Meisou’, instead of ‘Miniso’.
One Ben Jackson on a Quora thread speculating company’s origins, says,
“The fact that they’re mis-spelling the name of the shop in Japanese tells me that it’s a Chinese brand, regardless of who supposedly founded it.”
Netizens, who are onto Miniso’s Japanese design philosophy, are calling its products ‘made in China, designed to look Japanese’.
According to Macau Daily Times, reports from Internet users claim that “the packaging used for the products contains an odd mix of characters from the various Japanese writing systems.”
Regardless of its ambivalent origin, Miniso has taken the Indian market by storm. Only recently, they opened new retail stores in Lucknow and Punjab.
Anyhoo, we were just wondering, what’s up with Miniso’s origin and products. Thought you would also be intrigued. Tell us more, if you know more. ‘Cause we gots to know. Till then, toodles.