Mieru's men's-wear business died with the business suit — ¥1.2B bankruptcy

Mieru Co. was a Sendai-based maker, wholesaler and retailer of men's casual and business wear. Founded in February 2002 and incorporated in October 2004, it manufactured and imported clothing, selling through department stores, large supermarkets, mass retailers, specialty shops, and around 30 of its own retail stores — a model built on business-dress demand and department-store foot traffic.

The pandemic changed the two things its model depended on at once. Remote work and shifting office dress codes cut wholesale demand for business attire, forced its retail stores to close or shorten hours, and the company slid into loss. The post-COVID policy of a very weak yen then pushed up the cost of imported goods, and inflation kept consumer spending down.

The final blow came in autumn 2025, when an unusually warm season left autumn merchandise unsold, tying up cash in inventory and worsening the funding squeeze. On August 19, 2025 Mieru filed for self-bankruptcy at the Sendai District Court with total liabilities of approximately ¥1.2 billion. Its related company, Mieru International, was also affected.