Why it belongs in ORBIS
Tokyo streetwear label founded in 2005 by former J-League goalkeeper Atsuhiko Mori and Keiji Ishizuka, growing out of a Tokyo record store into leopard-print and aloha-shirt fashion rooted in music and film culture.
Wacko Maria was founded in Tokyo in 2005 by Atsuhiko Mori and Keiji Ishizuka, both former professional footballers in Japan's J-League; Mori played as a goalkeeper for Yokohama Flugels from 1991 to 1997. After retiring, Mori opened a bar where he DJed reggae, ska, funk and rockabilly, and the label grew out of a record store the pair ran. The brand's designs - leopard prints, aloha shirts, and tattoo-influenced graphics - draw on Mori's interests in vinyl culture, punk and film. About a decade after founding, Wacko Maria opened its first physical store, Paradise Tokyo, in Meguro ward.