MATCH OF THE DAY

Tom Vitolins

December 12, 2021

Born in Riga, living in Berlin, he is the founder of a sustainable unisex pajama brand, @tomadam_official. Considering matches, he likes all types of them—pj's, tennis, tinder, safety, you name it.

WHY DO YOU LIKE AND COLLECT MATCHES?

I actually like the ephemerality of matches as they belong to a certain time and place. Each time you pick up a specific matchbox you can relive the moment when you first met, it’s a small Madeleine cake moment. I am not a big collector of matches though, I tend to indulge heavily in them and then let them go. Seeing all the lovely collections of the people on Oh, What a Match!'s website, I am starting to contemplate my match-keeping behavior.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ONES AND WHY?

A good story always helps, doesn’t it? Sport ones are an absolutely Latvian and Soviet Union classic and I have to think of them each time someone mentions safety matches.

WHEN AND HOW DO YOU LIKE TO ENJOY YOUR MATCHES?

They are either scattered around my apartment and waiting to be entangled in a tango with either candles or Palo Santo, otherwise they are happily napping in the pockets of my workwear jackets.