Mai Mukaida

Mai Mukaida (Japanese: 向田 麻衣, Hepburn: Mukaida Mai, born 24 October 1982) is a Japanese make-up artist and businesswoman.

Mai Mukaida
Triple disaster relief effort Mukaida at a refugee shelter (May 2011)
Born	(1982-10-24) 24 October 1982 (age 42) Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan
Alma mater	Keio University (SFC)
Occupation(s)	Make-up artist, Cosmetics company CEO

In 2009, Mukaida started the Coffret Project, which helps women in Nepal, who have been victims of human trafficking get their life back on track. She is the CEO of the cosmetics company Lalitpur, which she founded in May 2013. Mukaida was named the Avon Woman of the Year [ja] in 2012, and also received the Lohas Design Award.

Biography

Mukaida was born on 24 October 1982 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.^[1][2] While attending Miyagi Gakuin High School, she visited Nepal, participating in an NGO for women's literacy.^[2] This experience inspired her to later work in Nepal.^[3] She then attended Keio University at the SFC, where she studied sociology under Eiji Oguma.^[4]

Starting in August 2008, Mukaida spent half a year doing NGO fieldwork in Turkey.^[2] She noticed that victims of human trafficking said, when asked what they dreamed of, that they wanted to dress up or wear cosmetics.^[5] In 2009, she began the Coffret Project, which helps women in Nepal who have been victims of human trafficking get their life back on track.^[1] After the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in March 2011, Mukaida worked to help victims in her hometown by providing makeup.^[4] In 2012, one year after the triple disaster, she was named the Avon Woman of the Year for her work to improve the lives of Nepalese people. Later that year, she was awarded the Lohas Design Award from Development Associations for Youth leaders.^[5]

In May 2013, Mukaida established a cosmetics company called Lalitpur, meaning "city of beauty" in Sanskrit.^[5] Mukaida's goal was to create a product that could be made in Nepal and would be competitive in the industry.^[6] The company makes cosmetics with herbs and rock salt from the Himalayas.^[7]

Mukaida released the book Live "Beautiful Moments" in 2014.^[8]

Works

• “美しい瞬間”を生きる [Live "Beautiful Moments"] (in Japanese). Discover Twenty-one. 2014. ISBN 978-4-7993-1522-4.

References

1. ＜44＞ネパールの女性の頼れる味方 向田麻衣 [<44> Mai Mukaida, Reliable Ally of Nepali Women]. Asahi Shimbun. 8 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016.
2. 東北の復興に向けての起業を応援する「みちのく起業」 ["Michinoku Entrepreneurship" to support entrepreneurs for the reconstruction of Tohoku]. Michinoku Shigoto. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
3. Nihon, Yanagi (2 September 2016). 5年後、10年後どうなっていたい？これまでの足跡にヒントがありました [What do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years from now? There was a hint in the footprints so far]. Hokuokurashi (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
4. 美しいものを求めるのは人間の根源的な欲求 できるかぎり支援したい（前半）【Coffret Project コフレ・プロジェクト】 [Seeking beautiful things is a fundamental human desire, and I want to support them as much as possible (first half) [Coffret Project]]. Canpan News. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016.
5. Osumi, Magdalena (5 April 2015). "Makeup entrepreneur heals women's souls in Nepal". The Japan Times. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
6. Kakimoto, Maki (8 February 2017). 「Lalitpur」代表・向田麻衣さん【前編】「ストーリーだけでなく、ロゴやパッケージも大事に」 ["Lalitpur" Representative Mai Mukaida [Part 1] "Not only the story, but also the logo and packaging are important"]. Kurashi to Oshare no Henshūshitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
7. Honjō, Shūji (17 April 2014). 向田麻衣Lalitpur社長「途上国で苦しむ女性の、心を救い、仕事をつくる」 [Mai Mukaida, President of Lalitpur, “Save the hearts and create jobs for women suffering in developing countries”]. Gendai Business (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
8. 作家・朝吹真理子が潜る”創作の海”「イメージと言葉をつなぐ『チューブ』としての使命を全うしたい」 [Writer Mariko Asabuki dives into the “sea of creation” “I want to fulfill my mission as a ‘tube’ that connects images and words”]. Gendai Business (in Japanese). 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

External links