OBI Bag | Two obi, one pattern on each side. Made to order

Before you order

Three things to know before you order.

Every bag is made to order, one at a time. Here is what to know first.

01

The pattern is not yours to choose.

No two obi carry the same pattern, and where the cloth is cut changes how the pattern falls. You choose the color family; we choose the obi. Pick one of five — Amber, Scarlet, Ecru, Dayflower or Ink — and we look for an obi within it. The photographs are pieces we have made before in that family. If you would rather decide for yourself, choose “Choose from whole obi”: after you order, we email you photographs of candidate obi and you choose two.

See the color families

02

Delivery takes about 12 weeks.

Nothing is made in advance. Production begins once your payment is confirmed, and the first step is finding an obi that matches the color family you chose. That step cannot be rushed; the right piece has to exist. Cut by hand, sewn by hand. Delivery takes about 12 weeks (within three months). If you choose from whole obi, those twelve weeks begin once the obi is chosen.

What happens in the 12 weeks

03

No returns or cancellations once production has begun.

As these are made-to-order products, returns, cancellations, or specification changes are not accepted once production has begun. The obi has been cut, and it cannot be restored. Before that point, cancellation is possible: email info@sfdesign.co.jp as soon as you can and we will tell you where your order stands. If we cannot secure an obi suitable for the color family you chose, we will decline the order and refund you in full.

Read the FAQ

What arrives

What arrives.

Two obi with different patterns, sewn together, one on each side. The obi keeps its full width; there is no unnecessary cutting.

The top folds over, and set into the fold is a single oval metal fitting. Through it shows the pattern of the obi underneath. Open the bag out and that same fitting becomes the handle. Fold it the other way and the two obi trade places, front and back. One bag, two faces.

Size	Approx. H35cm × W30cm (no gusset). Dimensions vary with the original obi
Holds	A long wallet, a pouch, a tablet
Material	Obi (silk, etc.) / inner lining
Hardware	An oval metal fitting set into the fold; it doubles as a handle
Strap	Chain strap, detachable and adjustable in length

OBI Bag close-up: oval window, chrysanthemum obi below

Full-length view, OBI Bag on the shoulder at waist height

Ways to carry

Many ways to carry it.

The chain strap detaches, and its length adjusts. Over the shoulder, across the body, in the hand, or off entirely and carried as a clutch. The oval fitting on the fold doubles as a handle. Then there is the choice of which obi faces out.

OBI Bag over the shoulder, one hand under the bag — Over the shoulder, a hand underneath.

OBI Bag carried by its chain, in hand, on a shopping street — By the chain, in the hand.

OBI Bag in gold obi, chain removed, folded and carried as a clutch — Chain off, carried as a clutch.

OBI Bag in orange chrysanthemum obi, opened out and carried by the oval fitting — Opened out, carried by the fitting.

OBI Bag in orange and black obi, folded and tucked under the arm — Folded, tucked under the arm.

OBI Bag in red, black and gold obi, folded and held in one hand — In one hand, just as it is.

Each photograph shows a different piece we have made. The fitting, too, changes with the obi.

Color families

You choose the color family.

Five families. That is as far as your choice goes. Within one family, brightness, the scale of the pattern and the weave differ from piece to piece. Below are past pieces from each family. The one that reaches you will match none of them.

Amber (Kohaku)

琥珀

A vibrant and warm scheme based on golden-brown and orange

OBI Bag, Amber: apricot obi, orange motifs, chain attached — Past piece

OBI Bag, Amber: silver-white flap over red and gold — Past piece

Scarlet (Hiiro)

緋色

A scheme based on vermilion and red, perfect for making a statement

OBI Bag, Scarlet: deep red flap over a floral cream obi — Past piece

OBI Bag, Scarlet: vermilion flap over a silver-gray obi — Past piece

Ecru (Kinari)

生成り

An elegant and versatile scheme based on white, beige, and silver-gray

OBI Bag, Ecru: silver-white flap, pale green obi below — Past piece

OBI Bag, Ecru: beige floral obi, chain attached — Past piece

Dayflower (Tsuyukusa)

露草

A refreshing scheme based on blue, green, and light colors

OBI Bag, Dayflower (Tsuyukusa) — Past piece

OBI Bag, Dayflower: pale flap, green obi, chain attached — Past piece

OBI Bag, Dayflower: brown and teal obi, wave pattern — Past piece

Ink (Sumi)

墨

A dignified scheme based on black and silver

OBI Bag, Ink: silver-gray lattice flap, black obi below — Past piece

OBI Bag, Ink, laid open: black obi, gold diamonds, a bird — Past piece

Reading the pattern

The motifs on an obi carry meaning. Kikko, a lattice of hexagons — a tortoise shell in Japanese, a beehive to most English speakers — is a wish for long life. Tsubaki, the camellia, is the tree that announces spring. Look through the past pieces one by one, or look up the motifs on the obi that reaches you, and you start to read the wish carried by that one sash. The pattern is not yours to choose. The reading is, once the bag arrives.

See all 30 past pieces →

Two ways to order

Two ways to order.

The bag is the same either way. What changes is whether we choose the pattern or you do. Both are made to order and one of a kind.

01

Leave it to us

You choose the color family

¥49,500tax incl.

You choose the color family; we choose the obi. One of the five families above. We select an obi within it, make the bag and send it to you. The pattern is a surprise that arrives with the bag.

Order — leave it to us

02

Choose from whole obi

You choose the obi itself

¥77,000tax incl.

You choose from obi we have not yet cut. After you order, we email you photographs of candidate obi, and begin making the bag once you have chosen two. Which part of each obi to use is decided together with you. The twelve weeks begin once the obi is chosen. If we cannot offer an obi that suits you, we may decline the order and refund you in full.

Would you rather see the obi before deciding? Ask us before you order and we will send candidate photographs first.

See the obi in stock →

Order — choose from whole obi

Delivery takes about 12 weeks (within three months). For Leave it to us the twelve weeks start when your payment is confirmed; for Choose from whole obi, once the obi is chosen. As these are made-to-order products, returns, cancellations, or specification changes are not accepted once production has begun.

The makers

Simple, on purpose.

small.step Inc. operates a B-type labor support facility “Dandelion”, and they are our very first partnership company. We outsource some sewing operations to them to provide working opportunities for people with disabilities. The OBI Bag was developed together with Dandelion in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, and each one is sewn there.

We did not start with the design. We started by asking what could be done well, again and again, by the people who would sew it. The bag could have been more elaborate. On purpose, it is not. No unnecessary cutting — the obi keeps its original width. Simple sewing, simple design, and what comes forward is the obi itself: its weave, its pattern, its color.

“If we had not made it with the people at Dandelion, this bag would not exist.”

Re:ADY B

About Re:ADY B

Wear the Story.

Re:ADY B is an ethical fashion brand from Hiroshima. But what we create is not just bags or clothes — what we deliver is the very process (the story) of solving social issues.

About Re:ADY B →

Choose a color. In about 12 weeks, it is yours.

OBI Bag·Leave it to us ¥49,500/Choose from whole obi ¥77,000(tax incl.)·about 12 weeks (within three months)

Five color families, two ways to order. If anything is unclear, ask before you order.

Choose a color and order Ask us a question