There remains several elusive items from this 1998 collaboration between 7Eleven of Japan and Dutch design maestro Philippe Starck. True to his intentions, these stylish stationery and housewares were sold at super affordable prices… unlike most modern designer collabs where the brand uses the designer’s name to put a big mark up on otherwise normal goods.
I had started with the 0.5mm MEC PEN in grey, gradually finding usable examples of ballpoints, fineliners, a cutter, eraser holder and scissors. All have a signature look with modern color accents in grey and/or orange-red.
This stapler is one of the last 2 items I am hunting for. Curiously, also learned that the Japanese call staplers ‘hotchkiss’, not because of the machine gun but rather the inventor or patent holder’s name.
Last one I hope to find is the tape dispenser. Also in grey and probably very heavy if I locate one for sale.
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By the way, that slogan? TOMORROW WILL BE LESS…, applies especially well to scarcity of vintage collectibles. 
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Very cool!
Here’s a fun read about the origins of Hotchkiss: The Strange Tale of the Hotchkiss
There also a stapler with an integrated punch that was invented in Japan in the 1980s. It was called Punchkiss! 
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Yesss that turned up on my search pages 
In Japan familiar words don’t always mean the same thing.
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Interesting to hear that. The Sailor pen company was started in 1911 by a Japanese businessman named Mr. Sakata, for manufacturing gold nibs. Mr. Sakata didn’t get into full pen development until he’d met an American, who was from the Navy. That “sailor” gave him a very nice fountain pen, a model Mr. Sakata had never seen before. It inspired him to create his own version for his nibs. In 1917, Mr. Sakata changed his company name to “Sailor.” So he basically named his company after the “career name” of the guy who inspired him. 
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, Punchkiss 