Opening Weekend · Memorial Day · 2026 Prepared by Curative

Omusubi × OG Slick — Opening Weekend Activation, Memorial Day 2026

A two‑day artist activation for Omusubi's first US store opening — designed around their gallery‑adjacent space, the brand mark they protect, and the artist they invited.

VIP Night

Thursday · May 21

Evening event Times TBC
Grand Opening

Saturday · May 23

Doors morning Times TBC
where the street meets the rice ball
02 — The Opportunity

An opening that lives beyond the doorway.

Omusubi's first US store is 1,100 square feet — beautiful for service, too small for the kind of weekend the brand deserves. The adjacent gallery space turns the constraint into a stage: somewhere guests linger, make something, and leave wearing the brand.

1,100 sq ft

The restaurant — service-sized, not crowd-sized.

2 days

VIP preview Thursday · public grand opening Saturday.

1 artist

Slick — focused budget, fully embedded in both days.

The gallery space next door becomes the experience: brand storytelling on one wall, Slick's character world on another, a customize-your-merch station, a kid-friendly draw-along, all wrapped in a matcha cocktail bar and DJ atmosphere produced by the event team.

03 — The Brand Lens

Slick lives inside the mark.
Never on top of it.

Omusubi's identity is the work of Kashiwa Sato — the same studio behind UNIQLO. We're inheriting a brand system that was built to be guarded. This is how Curative interprets that responsibility for the activation.

The mark stays whole.

Every printed template, every drawn character, every sticker begins from the official Omusubi silhouette — clean triangle, nori band, wordmark intact at the bottom.

Slick's energy lives in the negative space.

His characters fill the inside of the mark with personality — but they never overprint, recolor, or distort the canonical brand elements.

Curative is the interpreter.

Every creative decision passes through us before it hits the brand team. We translate Slick's instincts into briefs the brand can approve — and we translate brand notes into edits Slick can run with.

A grid of onigiri-mark character expressions
Every face starts from the Omusubi mark — never on top of it.
The working principle
04 — The Character

A house cast,
drawn in Slick's hand.

The thread that ties every activation together is the character itself — a small, repeatable ensemble of Omusubi-mark portraits that becomes the visual world guests step into.

A granny, a mustache guy, a Dodger‑capped kid, a demon‑eyed troublemaker, a stoned‑hearts romantic — each one a portrait sitting inside the brand mark.

Slick is developing a small repeatable ensemble of characters that all live within the official Omusubi silhouette. These become the focal art on the gallery wall, the heat-transfer library for the merch-customization station, and the visual world that guests step into when they walk in the door.

The cast is range-tested by design: kid-friendly faces alongside edgier ones, so every guest finds a character that fits.

The canonical Omusubi mark printed on blank template sheets
The starting frame — every drawing begins from the official Omusubi mark.
Slick live-drawing a character on the Omusubi template
The brand frame stays whole. The character lives in the negative space.
Slick holding a fan of three character sheets
A first look at the house cast — each one signed on the spot.
Every face starts from the Omusubi mark — never on top of it.
Granny and mustache character sheets, signed
Granny & the mustache guy.
Demon-eyed character sheet
Range matters — kid-friendly to edgier.

Concept Stage · Final Art Forthcoming from Slick's Studio

Also in development

Beyond the house cast.

Slick is exploring additional concepts that bring more of his own iconic vocabulary into the activation — work that lets the room reference both worlds at once. The headline concept on the table:

Headline Concept · In Development

LA Hands×the Omusubi Triangle

Slick's trademarked LA Hands — his signature cartoon hand vocabulary, already a permanent fixture of LA visual culture — re‑imagined to form the triangle hand sign the Omusubi team itself does in team photos. Two iconic gestures becoming one piece of art. A direct visual nod from the artist to the employees who are building the brand here.

More concepts will roll in along the way to round out the heat‑press transfer library and sticker drops — Slick generates as he works, and we'll fold in whatever lands cleanly. First look at the Tuesday Gardena meet.

06 — The Activations

Four experiences,
one continuous walk-through.

Every activation reinforces the same character world. Guests encounter Slick's house cast on the wall, get drawn into it personally, take a piece home that they made themselves, and learn the story behind the brand they're now wearing.

01

Slick Draws You In

Slick live-drawing a character on the Omusubi template
Slick at the live-draw station — process shot from the studio.

The hero moment. Guests sit with Slick at the live-draw station; he sketches them as an Omusubi-mark character in his style, signs the sheet, and they take it home. The reframe of the traditional artist signing — instead of waiting in a line for a name on a poster, guests become the brand mascot in real time.

Throughput-managed with a ticket system. Originals are kept on physical paper stock that scans and shares well — every guest has a social moment built in.

Must Hero activation Social-shareable
02

Family Draw-Along

The same printed Omusubi-mark templates, but at lower tables stocked with markers, colored pencils, and stickers. Kids draw their own faces inside the brand silhouette. Slick floats through and draws alongside — sitting with kids, sketching collaborative pieces.

This is what makes the activation family-friendly without diluting Slick's role. He's not behind a velvet rope; he's at the table.

Must Family-friendly Slick presence
03

Customize Your Take-Home

Pre-stocked blank totes and t-shirts. A growing library of heat-transfers featuring Slick's house cast — plus the additional concepts as they land (LA Hands × the Omusubi Triangle, and more). A heat-press station with an operator. Guests pick a blank, pick their pieces, build their version, walk out wearing it.

This is where Slick's full library does its second job — the same artwork that anchors the gallery wall becomes the wearable inventory, with stickers as a smaller take-home for the kids.

Should Take-home moment Ongoing brand visibility
04

The Brand Story Wall

Omusubi's voice in their own words: the Hyakunousha origin, the rice sourcing standards, the Kashiwa Sato design lineage, the sustainability commitments. Vinyl-applied wall typography and a few framed editorial images. Calm, confident, restrained — counterweight to the artist energy on the opposite wall.

Lets the brand tell its own story directly to the guest, without Slick having to interpret it.

Must Brand-led Anchors the room
Held — pending character lock. A face-in-hole photo cutout featuring the finalized Slick character is a strong concept that's been parked. We'll bring it back to the brand team after they've seen the canonical character work, so the cutout can be approved against a real reference rather than a sketch.
07 — The Two Days

Same room, two energies.

The activations stay the same. The pacing, audience, and emphasis shift between Thursday's invite-only preview and Saturday's public grand opening.

Thursday · May 21 Times TBC

VIP Night

Press, influencers, community partners, hospitality.
  • ToneIntimate. Slow walkthroughs, real conversations, considered photography.
  • Slick experienceLimited live-draw slots, longer time per guest. Each guest gets a real portrait moment.
  • BarMatcha cocktail bar leads — full menu pours.
  • Take-homeCustom merch station open. VIP gift bag with a numbered signed print.
  • Throughput goal~50 guests across the night. Quality over volume.
Saturday · May 23 Times TBC

Grand Opening

Family, public, neighborhood. Ribbon cutting morning.
  • ToneEnergetic, family-forward, ribbon-cutting moment.
  • Slick experienceFaster character pace. Family draw-along is the volume play. Slick rotates between live-draw seat and the kids' tables.
  • BarMatcha drinks (alcoholic and non) — kid-friendly options up front.
  • Take-homeCustom merch station at full throughput. Char­ac­ter sticker giveaways for kids.
  • Throughput goalContinuous flow. Aim for the room to feel busy without feeling stuck.
08 — Production & Budget

Tiered to the budget — Must, Should, Could.

A tight pot has to cover assets, print, and activation. We've grouped every line item by priority so the brand can dial in the package without losing the core experience.

Must

The non-negotiables — without these, there is no activation.

  • Slick character development — 6—10 finalized house-cast characters, brand-approved
  • Printed templates — 200+ blank Omusubi-mark sheets for both days
  • Art supplies kit — markers, pens, signing stock
  • Slick on-site, both days — VIP and Grand Opening
  • The Slick Wall — large-format prints of the house cast
  • The Brand Story Wall — vinyl typography, framed editorials
  • Zone signage and wayfinding
  • On-site Curative production lead, both days
Should

Strong recommendations — these turn an activation into an experience.

  • Heat-transfer library — full character set cut and ready
  • Blank tote & t-shirt inventory — ~100 pieces total
  • Heat-press station + on-site operator
  • Family draw-along setup — low tables, supplies, sticker sheets
  • Photo-friendly zoning — lighting and a clean backdrop moment
  • Documentation photographer — coverage across both days
Could

Stretch ideas — fold in if the budget permits, save the rest for a future drop.

  • Limited-edition signed print run — numbered, framed
  • VIP gift bag — branded, includes a signed print
  • Post-event sticker drop — mailed to attendees as a keepsake
  • Time-lapse video documentation — both days
  • Original character sheets framed for permanent install
  • Commemorative zine — small print run after the event
09 — Timeline to Show Day

Eleven days, three locks.

Lean schedule. Three brand-approval gates between here and ribbon-cutting — character lock, asset lock, install lock — keep us moving and keep the brand in the loop.

  1. Tue · May 12

    Gardena Meet & Greet

    Slick + Omusubi + Curative at Slick's studio. Walk-through of the gallery space. Direction lock for the character cast.

  2. Wed–Fri · May 13–15

    Character Lock

    Slick finalizes the house cast. Curative shepherds brand approval. Heat-transfer artwork prepared from approved characters.

  3. Mon–Tue · May 18–19

    Production Lock

    Print run on templates. Heat-transfers cut. Vinyl applied. Wall prints produced. Tote & t-shirt inventory inbound.

  4. Wed · May 20

    Install Day

    Gallery space dressed. Slick wall hung. Brand wall installed. Stations built. Final walkthrough with all parties.

  5. Thu · May 21

    VIP Night Times TBC

    Press, influencers, community. Slick on-site. Curative running ops.

  6. Fri · May 22

    Reset Day

    Restock templates, transfers, supplies. Touch-ups. Quiet day.

  7. Sat · May 23

    Grand Opening Times TBC

    Ribbon cutting. Doors open. Family + public.

10 — Beyond Opening Weekend

The character has legs.

What we're building over Memorial Weekend isn't a single event. It's a repeatable character system — Slick's house cast, brand-approved and brand-safe — that can travel.

Future US store openings. Sticker drops. Limited-run merch. Seasonal character additions. A claw-machine plush concept that's already on the table. Each one extends what we land in May without rebuilding from scratch.

Sticker drops Limited merch Seasonal additions Future openings Plush IP
Concept render of an Omusubi-character claw machine packed with onigiri plushies
Concept render — claw machine packed with the house cast as collectible plush.
A child hugging an onigiri plush
And what it earns once it's out there.

Concept renders · Illustrative only — final IP roadmap to be developed post-launch

11 — Roles & Next Steps

Three parties, one playbook.

Clear lanes from now until ribbon-cutting. Each party owns what they're best at; Curative is the connective tissue.

Omusubi

Brand & Hospitality

  • Approve the character cast direction
  • Brand-team review of all printed assets
  • Gallery space access & walkthrough scheduling
  • Food, bar, DJ logistics
  • Press, influencer, and community invites
  • Day-of brand voice on the Story Wall
Slick

Creative & Activation

  • Develop and finalize the house cast (6—10 characters)
  • Headline concept — LA Hands × the Omusubi Triangle
  • Roll in additional concepts to broaden the transfer & sticker library
  • Provide art-ready files for heat-transfer cutting
  • Live-draw on-site, both days
  • Float through the family draw-along
  • Sign hero originals as inventory
Curative

Production & Interpretation

  • Translate between Slick's instincts and brand approval
  • Manage all print, transfer, and merch production
  • Source blank tote & t-shirt inventory
  • Coordinate install, signage, wayfinding
  • On-site production lead, both days
  • Documentation and post-event wrap
To Greenlight

Three things from this meeting.

  1. Confirm overall direction at the Tuesday Gardena meet — does this shape match what each party imagined?
  2. Set the brand-approval check-in for the character cast — target end of week of May 12 so production can start.
  3. Lock budget tier — Must-only, Must + Should, or full Must + Should + selected Could items.
12 — About the Artist

OG Slick

A short orientation for the Omusubi team — and shareable with anyone joining the conversation later.

Richard P. Wyrgatsch II
aka OG Slick

A public artist since the mid‑1980s, OG Slick first gained notoriety for his contributions to aerosol painting techniques in LA's underground scene. Of Asian, European, and Puerto Rican descent, he was drawn to street art because it "saw no color."

Formally trained at Otis Parsons / Art Center College of Design, his clean graphic style now drives sculptural and large-scale work from Los Angeles to Shanghai. He owns the trademarked LA Hands — a permanent fixture of Los Angeles visual culture — and the copyrighted Love Gloves.

Based in Gardena, CA · Active since the mid‑1980s · Sculpture, canvas, prints, large-scale installs, books, and collectibles.

ogslick.com @og_slick The Slick Store
Selected Collaborations
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers 1989
  • Stussy 2001—2006
  • Adidas 2010
  • Converse 2014
  • Obey Clothing 2014
  • Mercedes-Benz 2017
  • 47 Brand × Lakers 2018
  • Li-Ning 2018—2019
Selected Exhibitions
  • ComplexCon 2017—2018
  • Mercedes Me 2017
  • Apartment of Contemporary Art 2017
Slick's house cast — multiple Omusubi-mark character sheets fanned out
The house cast — range across the ensemble.
Two character sheets, hand-drawn and signed by Slick
Signed pair — granny & the mustache guy.
Bold demon-eyed character sheet
Single hero — the demon-eyed troublemaker.

Recent character work — developed for the Omusubi opening. Broader portfolio at ogslick.com.