One of my favorite bands in the ’80s was The Style Council. One of their exquisite albums was Our Favourite Shop. What is your favorite shop? Mine is a Japanese no-brand shop called Muji. (How is that for a roundabout intro?)

My university friend Theo introduced me to the Style Council in the 80s and to Muji during a visit to London in the 90s. Theo, ever on the avant-garde, piqued my interest in their products, which I now enjoy.

A couple of decades later, Muji finally opened a couple of shops in Madrid!

The usual gateway product for Muji is its stationery: pens, notebooks, markers, etc. But I soon embraced most of their product line: clothing, home and kitchen products, snacks, and even furniture!

Their clothes follow the traditional Japanese template: perfect cut, rich proportions—no slim cuts here—quality materials: cotton, linen, wool, and no logos!!

But wait, aren’t you a minimalist? Asks the keen readers of this blog. You know that I try to be a minimalist, so I avoid buying clothes (or anything else) on a whim and buy only when needed, but I am not a radical minimalist, more of a practical one. So yes, I try to be very mindful of my purchases. I hope my mindful shopping habits resonate with you and inspire your own minimalist journey.

Anyway, there you have it. If you have not shopped at Muji before, I recommend starting with their stationery. You are welcome.