Hajime Mariano
As long as I’ve known Hajime Mariano, he’s always given off an air of slickness. I caught up with him on a visit home from Japan to talk about his life in Tokyo, his position at AMBUSH, and how he curates his style.
—Questions by Deepayan Bose
Who are you and what do you do (where are you from/based?)
My name's Hajime, born and raised in Illinois and currently living in Tokyo, Japan as a graphic designer and musician (kinda).
How did you get that position at AMBUSH?
Surprisingly enough, a friend sent me an Instagram story from AMBUSH that said they were looking for a graphic designer living in Tokyo, and can speak both English and Japanese. I threw my resume out there and wasn't expecting anything, but somehow got the job (my life is a lot of "somehows"). I've been a fan of AMBUSH since before, so it's an amazing opportunity to work especially within fashion.
What made you move to Japan?
The first time I ever visited Japan was during summer break while at SAIC. I was there for a whole month, and when I immediately got to Shibuya I thought "I have to live here." The environment, the convenience, and the energy was what got me hooked. It was such a strong push that I thought I couldn't live anywhere else.
How’s life there?
Convenient.
Where do you draw inspiration from (for style, design, music)
Currently:
Style: http://instagram.com/indiesleaze
Design: Y2K, Early 90's internet spam.
Music: Anything.
In that same vein, how would you describe your personal style?
Meticulously chosen. When I look at clothes, I find the fit to be #1. I'm super strict on how clothes should fit on me. Cuffs of shirts only barely at my wrists, pants mid-high waisted and hemmed to a certain length, t-shirts and shirts always tucked in, the length of everything has to be particular.
Otherwise, anything goes. One day I might look like a football hooligan, another day I might look like a sleazebag from the 70s or a kid from the 90s.
I’ve seen you wear clear glasses, Birkenstocks, carry tote bags, and use distorted and skewed typography all before it was trendy. From my viewpoint, it seems like you set trends. Do you ever notice things you thought were personally cool become reproduced everywhere? If so does it annoy you or push you to evolve?
No way, I actually always have the mentality that the more gross it is, the cooler I think it is. I like campy things, niche things, I don't care if it's socially "cool". If I think it's interesting in some way, I'm all in for it. I don't think that I've personally set any sort of trends, maybe people just found the beauty in those things on their own.
I actually always have the mentality that the more gross it is, the cooler I think it is.
What started your menswear journey?
Emo/Scene/Hipster phases throughout school. But I started "seriously" being interested in clothes around senior year of high school, after being exposed to Japanese Streetstyle Magazines and internet forums like SuperFuture. I was/am on the internet for 90% of my awake time, so I absorbed inspiration from there as well as in real life.
Do you miss Lookbook?
I think Lookbook was an unironically amazing platform for its time. It definitely also helped expose me to learning how to style yourself. Pre-Instagram I think a lot of those types of platforms (also fashion forums) were so amazingly tight-knit. You were able to cultivate more of an identity for yourself.
You started adopting a single designer style into your wardrobe. I remember you started with Thom Browne, then Lad Musician, and now Celine. What drew you to these designers? Do you really only wear one designer at a time? What’s your approach behind this?
Thanks to those aforementioned forums and Japanese Streetstyle magazines, I was able to discover so many designers from all over that I was able to research and learn. Thom Browne was during my "Americana" phase, and then once I learned what proxying was, I started going all-in on Lad Musician from Japan. The reason why I stuck to one designer most of the time was that it was easy. I could mix and match pieces from the same designer and it will naturally look cohesive.
Hedi Slimane has been a designer that has always interested me throughout all of my phases though. He directly pulls his collections from Youth Sub/Counter-Cultures and Music, and he always hits the mark for my personal build on the tailoring of his clothing. So naturally, I went from Dior Homme, to Saint Laurent Paris, to now Celine. Nowadays I don't really believe in just dressing in one designer, I mix with vintage.
How does your sartorial style affect your music taste and vice versa? Does it at all? What connections do you see between clothing and music?
I think the way I dress is 100% linked to music. I have always been researching the intersectionality between music, subcultures, clothing, and design. I collect so many books on youth subcultures, particularly Skinheads, Mods, Punks, DES JEUNES GENS MODERNES, etc.
Youth subcultures are formed and sometimes music is created from them, or they are formed by the music. That directs the way they dress and a sense of belonging. It's a way for them to identify themselves. I like to think that now I've had my style set in stone, and I still enjoy all of those things without seeming like I'm "cosplaying" anything in particular.
How’s living in Japan affected your sense of style? Do you see any differences between fashion/style in the US and Japan?
If I'm going to be totally honest here, actually not too much. Most of my style and the way I like to dress come from France, London, and Europe. I think living in Tokyo has made me way less conscious about "over-dressing" though. I always feel underdressed while in Tokyo if anything!
In the US, the people who want to show their individuality really show it. And from what I found a lot of the time they are really fully invested in how they dress and if there are any connotations from that. Whereas in Japan, there are definitely a lot of people like that as well, and a lot of really amazing dressers. But, to be brutally honest here, I perceive a lot of "cosplaying" in Tokyo. They achieve a look, but really they aren't fully passionate about any sort of thing in particular (e.g., "Fashion Punks," or that meme where it's like "well name your 5 favorite albums.") I always find that there’s a particular template some people like to follow there to blend in and not stick out in Japan.
“I learned so much about walks of life I would never experience, music that I would otherwise never discover. I always want to find something to talk about. As much as I hate people, I love people much more.”
How do you navigate any elitism when it comes to menswear? Are you guilty of it? Do notice any of it? Is it welcoming?
I just don't care. I think, particularly on Instagram in Japan, there are a lot of Hedi Slimane fans that are pretty hardcore, and it seems to me like it becomes a competition of who can buy and flex the most on Instagram. There is even like, inner-Instagram/real-life drama over this.
If I think a person's outfit looks cool, I'll tell them. Everyone makes a conscious decision when dressing, even if to them it seems like "they just threw stuff on". I'm at a point in my life where I don't care what other people think about what I wear and only I can personally judge myself for what fits and what doesn't for me. I get more jealous that others can rock something that would look bad on me!
I’ve known you to be able to jump into any group and start talking to people. Can you speak to the different communities you are part of? How do you feel jumping between many groups across oceans?
I'll always tell this story to everyone I meet when it comes to how I am fortunate to know so many people from different walks of life: I used to be garbage at math in high school. I was in the lowest possible level math class in my senior year of high school, and we had 2 distinct groups of people in that class. 1. Stoner Metalhead White Kids, 2. Aspiring Gang-bangers. I didn't learn a single thing about math, but instead in that class we all shared a common bond. We were all stupid. And when we were together in that classroom, even though we were from completely opposite walks of life, we were like family. Seeing those groups, along with me, get along and talk about our own lives, I learned that it's a waste to not learn about people. I learned so much about walks of life I would never experience, music that I would otherwise never discover. I always want to find something to talk about. As much as I hate people, I love people much more.
What does community mean to you?
Believing in something.
