Name: Nina Allen
Expertise: Original international sourcing
Location: New York City

Interests: Old companies, small companies.

Background: Lots of travel, language study.

Why did you curate the Masking Tape by Kamoi Kakoshi and what do you love about it?
It’s useful—it rips by hand and can be repositioned—and the color palette is so beautiful. It’s good to keep a couple of rolls in your pocket – to fix things, label things (it can be written on) or add some color. It goes on the wall without damaging paint and because it’s semi-transparent, it’s also nice to layer. The manufacturer, Kamoi Kakoshi, is a 90-plus year-old masking tape manufacturer in Japan. They responded to requests from just a small number of determined customers to make their standard tapes in different colors. I think it’s an amazing story. 

Favorite meal: Pumpkin at The Punjab Restaurant in London.

Recent purchase: Ten toboggans for our new shop in New York, TOP HAT on Broome Street.

Hidden talent: Equidistant spacing without a ruler.

Book/film recommendation: Book: The Sea by John Banville. Film: She Done Him Wrong.

Restaurant recommendation: Bozu in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

If I had $20, I’d: Stay a while and leave a good tip.

Transformative travel experience: Yamagata, Japan.

Favorite neighborhood: The old medina in Tangier.

Dream holiday: Last year’s trip to Iceland, all again.

If I could solve one problem, it would be: Dirty oceans.

I wish people cared more about: Things before they were gone.

Recent big aha!: My husband is right, I am never on time.

The world would be a better place if: Vegetarianism ruled.