Sushi Beanie

A sushi beanie built from two colours and a straight edge

A single piece of nigiri — salmon over rice — embroidered on the cuff of a ribbed knit beanie. The sushi beanie is the most reduced badge in the headwear run, and reduction is what a knit surface demands.

Two colours, two shapes, one horizontal division between them. That straight line where fish meets rice is doing more work than it looks: a rib knit is made of vertical columns, and a horizontal element cutting across them registers immediately as deliberate rather than accidental. Designs that run with the ribs tend to disappear into the texture; designs that cross them stand out.

Nigiri itself is an exercise in the same discipline. It appeared in Edo in the 1820s as street food sold from stalls, and everything unnecessary was removed — no rolling, no wrapping, just fish pressed onto rice with a smear of wasabi between them. A dish stripped to two components makes a natural badge, because there is nothing left to lose in the translation to thread.

It comes in black, dark grey, heather grey, baby pink and white. Black makes the salmon glow and is the sharpest of the five. Dark grey and heather grey keep it quiet and let the orange do the work. Baby pink is tonal, close to the fish itself, and white is the cleanest.

Double-layer cuff, stretch rib knit, one size. Worn folded, the cuff sits just above the ears; unfolded, the hat pulls down over them and becomes a taller, slouchier shape. Both are correct, and the badge stays flat either way because it is stitched on the outer face of the fold.

Hand wash cool, dry flat, and reshape while damp if needed. Heat and gravity are the two things that ruin a knit hat permanently, and neither damage is reversible once it has happened.

• Type: Cuffed graphic beanie
• Construction: Ribbed knit, double-layer turn-up cuff
• Design: Cuff embroidery — salmon nigiri sushi
• Fit: One size, stretch knit
• Colours: Black, dark grey, heather grey, baby pink, white
• Care: Hand wash cool, dry flat, do not hang wet
• Wear it with: An oversized tee, a shell on top