The collection intertwines the legacy of Fiasco’s father, his upbringing with Japanese samurai swords, and the social change he envisions through the Iaidō philosophy.
Maharishi has reunited with Lupe Fiasco to create a collection to celebrate the launch of the Nishigawa Iaidō Club, founded by the American musician. Iaidō roughly translates to “the way of mental harmony and immediate reaction,” and is the meditative martial art of the traditional Japanese sword that Fiasco grew up practicing. The collection features a commemorative jacket as well as training and post-training wear.
Nishigawa Iaidō Club is the essence of Fiasco’s upbringing with Japanese swordsmen, including his father, who were Black, having grown up on the South and West sides of Chicago. “Nishigawa,” or “west side” in Japanese, refers to the historically underprivileged neighborhood in Chicago, but is also a Sumo wrestling reference as prestigious wrestlers customarily enter a fight from the east side of the ring. “Then there’s that part about Nishigawa, the least prestigious side of the sumo ring. But there’s still champions that come out of that side,” said Fiasco, who puts social change at the heart of the club.
Fiasco champions the west side ethos through the “Iai” of Iaidō, which he interprets as a constant state of preparedness — to always be ready. “As kids, we used to say, ‘always ready, sensei,’ whenever my dad would say, ‘Are you ready?’” This mantra still resonates with Fiasco today, and acts as a constant reminder of being prepared to win and being prepared to lose. The San-juu-san motif, or thirty-three in Japanese, featured in the collaboration refers to the 33 percent chance of winning in a sword match (the other 66 percent is mutual destruction). The motif, essentially the chance of living, is a reminder to always live life to the fullest.
“It’s about having fun, but it’s also about being serious, and extending that cultural practice across barriers and boundaries.”
Maharishi
All of Fiasco’s first memories were about martial arts, especially Iaidō: he was three when he received his first samurai sword, a Wakizashi to be precise, which paved his way into the world of martial arts. His childhood is also immersed in the cultural references of swords, from Jack Kerouac poems that mentioned katanas, to the protagonist in Ninja Scroll that wielded a samurai sword. “We would literally be able to go into our living room, get the exact weapons and clothes that they had, put it on, and go outside and actually reenact some of those things,” reminisced Fiasco.
This love for the martial arts has transcended his childhood into his commitment today to build a new community of swordsmen, like his father did with his generation. The club will be celebrating cross-cultural collaborations, as his experience with Iaidō was. “It’s about having fun, but it’s also about being serious, and extending that cultural practice across barriers and boundaries.” This fusion of cultures is also what makes the collaboration make sense. Fiasco’s father jammed together his military experience and his love for Iaidō in interesting ways, and Maharishi’s blend of Japanese cultural references and military garments captures the same energy. Fiasco’s father ran army surplus stores that inspired Fiasco to upcycle military gears, a practice Maharishi also embraces. The collection will be an embodiment of the Iaidō philosophy, realized through hand-machine embroidery and crafted from staple Maharishi fabrics including cotton-hemp twill, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
All images courtesy of Maharishi.
