The café MIA MIA is run by owner Mr.Vaughan Allison and his wife, Mrs. Rie Allison, who wanted to create a space where people from all walks of life could gather, transcending cultural, national, and age boundaries. MIA MIA” is a Warrongo word, one of the aboriginal languages of Vaughn’s native Australia, and refers to a hut built as a shelter for family, friends, and passersby to gather.

Although the café had not yet opened when yumiko iihoshi porcelain was asked to produce original mugs, the name “MIA MIA” had already been chosen, and we delved into its origin and episodes as we proceeded with the production of the original mugs. In this issue, we introduce the original MIA MIA mugs along with an interview with Mr. Allison.

“I had never been particular about tableware before, but when I first encountered Iihoshi’s tableware, I replaced all the tableware in my house with Iihoshi’s. That’s how fascinated I was by Iihoshi’s cups! I was so fascinated that I thought it would be great if I could use Iihoshi’s cups to serve customers when I opened my restaurant. But I never thought I would be allowed to make my own original cups,” says Mr. Allison.

We prototyped several designs while listening to the image of the new store. Since their request was for mugs rather than cups and saucers, we could imagine that the space would have a casual, homey atmosphere. One that was finally narrowed down was one that incorporated MIA MIA’s distinctive arched window shape. The dark brown glaze was intended to be a warm color reminiscent of the Australian climate. The texture of the semi-porcelain clay has a slightly rough feel and is comfortable in the hand.

“Cafes are by nature places where people from all walks of life come and go. There is diversity and a mix of different cultures. I wanted to create a place where everyone is present, including grandparents and children, not just a space where only fashionable people gather. We were told that the color of this brown glaze would not stabilize easily, but I did not feel that was a negative at all, but rather very positive. In fact, when customers were choosing mugs to buy at the store, I would show them three or four and they would choose one of them and say, “I like this one!” I think it’s great that they have their own individuality.”

The handle, which resembles the arch of a window, is another point that he realized when he actually used the cup. “The handle of this original cup is shaped like an arch so that two fingers can fit through, so I thought that anyone can hold it securely, even if they are not strong or have small hands, I felt it was a really great design,” Mr. Allison.

MIA MIA uses other yumiko iihoshi porcelain products in addition to the original mugs. When we asked him if he uses different products for different drinks, replied in typical MIA MIA fashion.

“We don’t have a set rule as to which cups we have to use and which drinks we have to serve. The staff uses the cup of their choice while communicating with customers. This original cup is probably more appropriate for serving hot drinks, but the rim of the cup is delicate and thin, just like Iihoshi’s vessels, so iced drinks are very tasty as well. The key point is that it is gentle to the palate.”

As stated on the MIA MIA website, “A café is more than just a place to drink coffee at any time, and a coffee cup is a vessel for communication, so to speak. ” We hope that these original mugs will be a bridge of communication between the people who visit this place.

MIA MIA
〒171-0051
4-10-1 Nagasaki, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
MIA MIA TOKYO (mia-mia.tokyo)

Interview & text Yukina Moriya
Photo Kohei Yamamoto