Tartan and trinkets, with artist Anna Marrone

We can learn a lot about someone from the material objects they rely on – the uses they hold, and the stories they tell. With Anna Marrone, we get the strong sense that tactility is everything.

As a designer, she’s into printed stationery and signage. As an artist and illustrator she sketches photorealistic portraits of animals, people and objects. And in her spare time, she likes to take a tattoo needle to her friends (upon their request, of course).

So it’s no surprise that the objects in Anna’s Classic Pouch are like physical memories – trinkets with a travel story, and objects that have a long-lasting purpose. The relaxed joy she exudes in person, is reflected in her eclectic set of essentials. Curious yet unassuming, unique yet full of purpose.

“I often go to the ‘coffice’ (café office) just to get out of the house and do some drawings. Everything I do still starts by hand. I really don’t know how else to do it…”

“These essentials represent convenience mixed with a bit of nostalgia,” Anna says. “I tend to remember when, where and how I acquired everything – which is probably why I’m a bit of a hoarder. It seems like a lot of stuff for that little pouch, doesn’t it?”

Where she sees ‘hoarder’, we see a person who enjoys a happy memory sparked by an object. And who appreciates their value in day-to-day life that others might underestimate. A fan to keep her cool on the dancefloor so she’s free to focus on the music not the heat, for example… or the pizza slice patch she’s sewn on to the front of the pouch to represent her Italian heritage – and in a broader sense, family. As Anna has strengthened further for us, the reliance people have on their essentials might feel common, but the objects themselves tell a unique story.

After all, do you know anyone else who carries a tattoo needle alongside their bike lights?

It’s no surprise that the objects in Anna’s Classic Pouch are like physical memories – trinkets with a travel story, and objects that have a long-lasting purpose.

The stories behind the stuff.

Her favorite pencil.

“I often go to the ‘coffice’ (café office) just to get out of the house and do some drawings. Work is still really fun for me. I mean, you can’t complain about getting commissioned to draw puppies! I feel like I’m really lucky to be able to go somewhere by myself, and have something to do. This super special mechanical pencil is what I always use. It was a birthday present from a friend 8 years ago and it’s been perfect. Everything I do still starts by hand. I really don’t know how else to do it... Then, if needed, I’ll scan it in and work it up on the computer.”

Tattoo needles.

“I’ve been tattooing for about 10 years. Tattoo trading is fun. It’s such a nice thing to offer, as a creative person. When I started out, I was just using a sewing needle strapped to a pencil with some cotton... Now I just use a long needle as-is. It used to seem fiddly, but I’m used to it.”

Tartan scrunchie.

“I refuse to believe that they ever went out of style. I got this one in an amazing store in Zurich in 2010. The fancy store had beautiful silk tartan things, tartan everything. And I’m obsessed with tartan. This was all I could afford, but I’m really happy with it. I’ll often wear my hair out and then get too hot, especially on the D-floor! So it’s great for dancing.”

The rest.

A metro card, “I never bloody know where it is. I’m always scrounging around the bottom of my bag looking for that guy. So the little side pocket is its new spot.”

A fan “is equally as important on the D-floor or at a festival.”

A red lipstick “for when you’re in a beauty emergency – when you’ve gotta make yourself look way better than you actually do.”

The beer keyring “a friend bought me, that says ‘Cheers from Amsterdam’. My house key lives on it.”

Bike lights, “again always scrounging around the bottom of my bag. And they’ve fallen out of my bag before. They just seem to be the thing that goes missing, when all you want to do is get on your bike and go.”

“This stuff and my notebook is all I need, which is great. It’s refreshing not to have all my things floating around the bottom of my tote and I’m determined to keep up my new, improved level of organisation.”

Shop the Classic Pouch.