subscribe to Style Like UMari J Brooklyn | artist and fashion writer
"I want to be a fashion comedian." Mari J Brooklyn
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Mari J was born and raised in Japan. She works as a photographer, fashion writer, designer, magazine coordinator, and artist. Plaid Leggings and Socks from H&M, Nick & Nora Slippers -
Canal Jeans Faux Fur Jacket, Vintage Hat and Dress with her daughter's tutu worn underneath, Pink Uniqlo Tights, Shoes from Daffy's, Mari J Brookyln Earrings/Necklace -
Mari J writes the street fashion segments for the Japanese men's fashion magazine LUSSW, and used to be a buyer for a vintage store. -
"I like leggings more than tights. I love anything comfortable. I love colors, Nike sneakers, Halloween." Fur Hat from St. Marks Place, Mari J Brooklyn T-Shirt and Earrings/Necklace, Uniqlo Leggings, Boots from a thrift store -
Vintage Snow Boots -
"I love Mickey Mouse style. I always go to Disneyland." H&M Fur Hat, Blazer made by her friend Cody Ross, Mari J Brookyln Jewelry, Glasses from a friend -
Mari J has backpacked around Asia, traveled across the U.S. by car, and ventured to many other parts of the world. "Soon, I will start traveling with my daughter. Maybe to Mars." Mari J's daughter Lino, whom she nicknamed Hemp -
Dress by Ideal For You, Chanel Scarf, H&M Plaid Leggings and Hello Kitty Socks, Mari J Brooklyn Jewelry -
Mari J's favorite person on StyleLikeU is Rinat Welsing. Tights from a friend (her favorite pair) -
"I used to wear sexy clothes for the boys but I stopped it because it's kind of stupid. I started to wear what I want to wear." Card-Print Drop-Crotch Pants and Hoodie from the Harajuku District in Japan, Vintage Snow Boots, Mickey Mouse Ears, Glasses from a friend -
"I love New York because everyone is exciting and very friendly. In Japan, people aren't as open if you're not friends with them." -
Mari J's ordered this tutu for her daughter's birthday, but it came in an adult size by accident. She now wears it herself. -
H&M Fur Hat, Blazer by her friend Cody Ross, Forever 21 Shorts, Tights from a friend, Jewelry from a friend -
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"I think most Japanese girls and boys are very childish. I think it's because we are very happy and it's a peaceful country. It's more free. America's a more politically free country, but Japan is more creatively free." Uniqlo Tights, Boots from a thrift store -
"[My favorite designer] is Jeremy Scott. [His clothing] makes me feel exciting and unique. I like anything unique, that makes me feel surprised." H&M Hello Kitty Socks -
"I love Daffy's for the shoes, not the clothes." Vintage Hat and Dress with her daughter's tutu worn underneath, Canal Jeans Faux Fur Jacket, Pink Uniqlo Tights, Shoes from Daffy's -
"I like cutting clothing, especially African fabric." Artwork painted by Mari J -
"My style comes from my experience. I've been traveling and hitchhiking all over India. In 2000, I went to India, Thailand, and Indonesia for almost six months." Fur Hat from St. Marks Place, Mari J Brooklyn T-Shirt and Jewelry -
Mari J is inspired by Bob Marley, reggae, and rasta culture. -
When living in Tokyo, Mari J would travel to Bali to design clothes and accessories to find balance "between city and island life." Dress by Ideal For You, Chanel Scarf -
"I like going to MoMA. The artists inspire me a lot." -
What inspires Mari J: "Any spiritual book, '80s disco music, '80s dancehall reggae, hip hop, and '90s Goa trance music." Card-Print Drop-Crotch Hoodie from the Harajuku District in Japan, Mickey Mouse Ears, Glasses from a friend -
"I dress up like everyday is Halloween...I love Halloween in [New York]." -
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"When I'm going to a party, I want to look special. This is who I am." Canal Jeans Faux Fur Jacket, Vintage Dress and Hat
Clothes are so much about whom is wearing them. Mari J has backpacked the world, inhales ideas, and it shows. She derives cultural references for her style from Tokyo to Bob Marley to Disneyland. I admire her freedom with creative impulses, like cutting her hair on the spot or throwing her three-year-old’s “happy birthday skirt” with pompoms in the hem under a dress to give it the right volume. Everyday is Halloween for Mari J, in the sense that she is unafraid to fully express herself and she doesn’t feel she needs a reason to, whether it’s picking herself up and traveling to India and Indonesia, hitchhiking through Japan, or recycling African fabric into art. Mari J redefines the rules in the most creatively exciting way, mixing Scottish plaid with camouflage and Chanel or Mickey Mouse ears as accents to a Hirajuku hoodie in a suits-of-cards print. She says that she will be traveling soon with her daughter Lino (whom is nicknamed Hemp), “to Mars possibly.” If having a sense of humor with fashion leads to this kind of joy with clothes, it might be worth having a private moment with our inner-child every so often to remember the abandon.
If you like Mari, you might also enjoy Rinat Welsing and Shayne Oliver.
