First.. a little Japanese etymology!  Mizutama (水玉) means polka dots..  Shima shima (縞縞) means stripes.  And so when two friends, a team 'polka dot' (Ms. Ueki) and a team 'stripes' (Ms. Murakami), decided to put their design and stationery-loving minds together, Mizushima (水縞) was the inspired choice of name.  Ms. Murakami is the owner of the beloved Sublo stationery shop in Kichijōji, Tokyo (there's also a shop in Kyoto).  Ms. Ueki is a lifelong stationery enthusiast and designer who spent years traveling to Thailand researching unusual paper goods and everyday materials.  Together their emphasis is on finding a balance to materials and patterns, nostalgia and texture - that magic combination that gives a sentimental feeling to things which seem to have always existed (but were perhaps invisible until now).  Founded 2006.  All products 100% made in Japan except as noted.