Miniso To Axe Confusing 'Japanese Designer Brand' Identity As It's Not Japanese

For years, global Chinese budget store Miniso has had customers convinced that it is a "Japanese Designer Brand," subliminally pitting itself against companies like MUJI with its "Japanese-inspired" lifestyle goods. To live up to the tagline, the company enlisted Japanese designer Miyake Junya as its chief designer. Miniso admitted on Chinese social network Weibo that in the early days of its global expansion between 2015 and 2018, it touted itself as a "Japanese designer brand"-which it said that, in hindsight, was the "Wrong brand positioning." Miniso added that the transition from its identity crisis had begun back in 2019, when it started removing Japanese motifs from its branding. Its shopping bags have been free of Japanese characters since 2020. Recently, the chain had come under scrutiny after advertising Chinese cheongsam-wearing Disney Princess dolls in Spain as Japanese geishas. As per Bloomberg, Chinese and Japanese relations have been especially touchy following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan this month.