Omusubi, Onegai! (feat. Sample by Matsuda)

I came across this omusubi zipper pouch from Sample by Matsuda on Instagram a while back and fell completely in love. Every item in the shop, referred to and catalogued as Articles, are incredibly clever and well-designed, but this one captured my heart. I knew I wanted to build an outfit around it, and red, white, and black was a no-brainer. I went for something very casual, wool kimono and hanhaba obi, and styled the pouch a bit like an inro would have been worn. Wouldn’t this be cute for someone working at a restaurant that served onigiri? I chose deep teal-ish accessories (the “obiage” is actually a fabric drape left over from my wedding but it works!) to call back to the impossibly blackish deep green of an onigiri’s nori wrapper, and I like the unexpected colour play against the red quite a bit.

Sample by Matsuda also offers a huge variety of very cool velcro-backed embroidered patches. Since this kimono is wool the omusubi patch just stuck on the back perfectly, emulating a cartoonish, oversized kamon. It wouldn’t hold up to actual wear like this, but on the mannequin I think it was the perfect finishing touch.

The Omusubi Article itself is so incredibly well-made; the finishes are all thought out and no detail is overlooked. From the rice-like texture of the sturdy fabric to the custom engraved zipper pull and item tag, you can tell there is so much thought behind every choice made here. The patch is much simple but no less charming, but the pouch is definitely the stand-out. I will definitely be getting a ton of use out of the pouch, especially when travelling frequently between Montreal and Banning.