ALL

While staying in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, I met Chiho Sasaki. We were colleagues at IDEO San Francisco in the late-90’s and have been good friends ever since.

After breakfast in the fashionable Iki café we decided to catch up with another ex-colleague Ricca Tezuchi, who has been running her own design studio called Propellor, in this part of Tokyo, for many years. I had heard good things about her work, and seen much of it on the shelves of Muji, but we hadn’t met face to face for around 20 years, so it was a great opportunity to say – konnichiwa.

Based in a modest building typical of that area the office is divided into ALL, a shop stocking their own products at the front, with the Propellor design studio at the rear. ALL, Ricca tells me, is alternately staffed by the design team who while serving the public can hear direct feedback on the products they create. It’s a brilliant research tool ensuring designers stay real. As well as working with Muji they work with small, local makers and manufacturers and launch products under their own brand. Their products are simple with unique twists in material, function and shape. Right up my street.

A few days after meeting I went back to ALL, as I had my eye on a beautiful natural indigo scalf (I just cant resist Japanese indigo). I ended up walking out with a bag full of products including a rubber bodied washing-up liquid dispenser (perhaps the most useful thing I have bought recently), a lovely and award winning toothbrush, Muji pens and cable tidy, a unique vegetable scrubber, the aforementioned scalf and a wonderful tote bag (that actually stays on your shoulder) to carry it all home in.

I have nothing but admiration for Ricca’s work and studio set up. In our world of noisy and arrogant designers, its great to see somebody doing wonderful work and being patiently and quietly successful. Next time you buy something in Muji, chances are you own something which Ricca and her team developed. And if you happen to be in Tokyo and can spare some time to visit Kiyosumi Shirakawa, please visit ALL. But take a suitcase, there is a lot you will want to bring home.