Frozen fashion: Japanese brand creates a bag for carrying your snowman

Following on from its Watermelon Tote, Tokyo's Tsuchiya Kaban is showing its playful side

Japanese leather goods brand Tsuchiya Kaban has created a dedicated Snowman Carrier, as part of its The Fun of Carrying series. Courtesy Tsuchiya Kaban

On the off-chance that you need to transport a snowman this season, Japanese leather goods brand Tsuchiya Kaban has got you covered.

The Tokyo company has unveiled a dedicated Snowman Carrier – a meticulous creation that is designed to display the brand’s careful craftsmanship, while also introducing a moment of levity in difficult times.

The bag is one of the most challenging creations that the brand has ever realised. Courtesy Tsuchiya Kaban

The Snowman Carrier is part of Tsuchiya Kaban’s The Fun of Carrying series, which was initiated this summer with the company’s Watermelon Tote, a stunningly put-together leather bag crafted from Italian leather and designed specifically to carry one’s watermelon. The design generated plenty of social media buzz, and so Tsuchiya Kaban has followed up with a more wintery concept.

Tsuchiya Kaban debuted its Watermelon Tote this summer, in an attempt to showcase its mastery of leather while creating a moment of levity in difficult times. Courtesy Tsuchiya Kaban

Founded in 1965, the brand prides itself on the meticulous craftsmanship and technical mastery of its handmade leather bags, and is best-known for the countless randoseru (elementary school bags used in Japan) that it sells each year. But it is also happy to show its more playful side. "We hope this bag marks a wonderful and joyous end to 2020," it said in a statement.

The Snowman Carrier is made from waterproof, oil-resistant leather and lined with polyester fibre fabric. Courtesy Tsuchiya Kaban

Tsuchiya Kaban craftswoman Yuko Matsuzawa was responsible for creating the leather snowman carrier – an idea that came to her as she watched the snow falling one winter's day.

Lightheartedness aside, the bag, which can hold one small snowman, is one of the most challenging contraptions that the brand has ever realised. First Matsuzawa had to select materials that were fit for purpose: the same waterproof, oil-resistant leather that is used to craft the brand’s popular, waterproof Otona Randsel 003.

The carrier is lined with polyester fibre fabric and represents the first time that the brand has incorporated a waterproof zipper into one of its designs. It comes in a subtle graphite grey, to create a contrast with the pure white of the snowman.

The bag’s smooth curves mimic the silhouette of a snowman, while a square base acts as a counterpoint to the sculptural shape. But the true joy of the design lies in its quirky details: the snowman sits on a dedicated tray with a circular indent, which can easily be pushed in and out of the bottom of the bag to ensure your snowman can be transported safely; while a long, narrow pocket on the inside of the cover has been specifically created to hold the snowman’s nose.

And thus Tsuchiya Kaban has used its mastery of leather to create a thing of joy.