Atsuhiko Mori Talks Origins of WACKO MARIA, Music & Collaborations

WACKO MARIA is the brainchild of former J-League soccer players Keiji Ishizuka and Atsuhiko Mori and was founded back in 2005. The Tokyo streetwear mainstay culls heavy influences from American culture, spanning music, films, photography, and art. The label spawned a cult following after multiple collaborative projects with WTAPS and Yoshida & Co, nonnative, N. Hoolywood and UNDERCOVER. As a whole, WM is widely-recognized for its lettered and embroidered garbs that are emblazoned with “PARADISE TOKYO” and “GUILTY PARTIES,” which is an homage to the Japanese district of Nakameguro and their offshoot brand, respectively.

As part of its “Japan-ism (vol. I)” issue, Slam Jam Socialism recently sat down with Atsuhiko Mori to discuss origins, varying music influences, collaborations as well as the future of WACKO MARIA. Watch the clip and check out key excerpts below. You can find the full interview over at Slam Jam Socialism’s official website.

Slam Jam Socialism: I understand you were doing soccer at the beginning. What made you go in this new direction?
Atsuhiko Mori: Some time after I finished with soccer, I was drinking with my partner at the time. We weren’t thinking of doing anything big in particular, but we at least wanted to do something cultural, and that’s what we started with.

You’ve successfully combined a lot of concepts into this space such as the music, the clothing store, and the coffee shop. Did you have the same interests/direction/vision?
My partner and I started with the same direction, but we’ve since gone separate ways. For myself, I’m the type that gravitates towards culture and music like what you see here.

Other than music, what else are you influenced by?
I like a lot of different things, including movies. I’m a huge fan of Italian architecture, the four Renaissance men and film directors like Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Bernardo Bertolucci. I also like Godard.

There are many chances to collaborate with artists from around the world. What aspects draw you to these collaborations?
Purely if something’s cool or not and if people like music. I like artists that can feel music like NeckFace. I feel both music and his energy through his art and to him, and that’s why I wanted to collaborate with him.

What’s the future for Wacko Maria?
I want to keep raising the level of what I’m doing now. It’s not that I’m not interested in broadening Wacko Maria’s scope abroad, but we’ll only do something if the timing’s right, so I won’t force it.