“Music is the trigger of all imaginations” according to Wacko Maria (one of the more, er, creatively named brands in the MR PORTER roster). Reggae, in particular, is a driving force behind the label – founder Mr Atsuhiko Mori developed a love for the rich, rebellious sounds of Bob Marley And The Wailers as a teenager growing up in Japan, and in 2020 he had the opportunity to collaborate with his idol’s estate for a capsule of camp-collared shirts. But Mori’s tastes are pretty eclectic, too – he boasts a vast, museum-worthy record collection that spans everything from ska to electronic, and the vinyl disc is a recurring motif on the brand’s pieces. He also heads up Killer Tunes Broadcast, a platform that spotlights up-and-coming names to know on Japan’s underground music scene.

While PARADISE founder Mr Sean Pablo’s talents are myriad (he’s also an artist and, yes, musician), he first made a name for himself as a skateboarding prodigy and a member of Supreme’s skate team. It’s a passion that was inherited from his father, who grew up in the LA skate punk scene and introduced him to 1970s punks such as Black Flag and X, who pioneered the genre. While Pablo’s punchy designs draw on multiple aspects of skate culture – and American pop culture as a whole – vintage style band T-shirts are a brand staple and have featured everyone from Sonic Youth to Mr Michael Jackson. He’s also been a close associate of fellow skater and cultural polymath Tyler, the Creator since his Odd Future days, with the musician even namechecking Pablo in one of his tracks.

Enfants Riches Déprimés – French for “rich depressed kids” – is as much a hype-worthy clothing label as it a paean to its founder’s privileged-yet-tumultuous upbringing. While holed up in a swanky Swiss boarding school (from which he was eventually expelled), Mr Henri Alexander Levy discovered the likes of The Clash and the Sex Pistols. Later, between multiple turns in rehab and a brief stint at art school, he found solace in the songs of Kraftwerk, The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Wipers. As such, his creations bear a strong punk influence – shredded black T-shirts, distressed knitwear and hand-painted leather jackets (all of which have found favour among today’s music provocateurs). It’s staggeringly expensive, a tad obnoxious and certainly not for everyone. Which is exactly the point.

A native of South Florida, STRAY RATS founder Mr Julian Consuegra was baptised in the Miami hardcore punk scene, which took root in the 1970s, and spent his younger years designing flyers, T-shirts and album covers for local underground bands. As such, the anarchistic genre remains a reference point for his streetwear operation, and there’s a distinct DIY feel to his pieces, which variously feature bold, rock ‘n’ roll typography and graphic prints of rodents, skeletons and anime characters. And even its very moniker derives from punk rock’s “rat” obsession – from garage-punk band The Rats and the Subhumans’ Rats EP to the now-defunct legendary rock music venue The Rat in Boston, which once played host to the likes of Sonic Youth and the Ramones.

Tokyo today might be its own veritable streetwear epicentre, and home to some of the coolest, most boundary-pushing names in menswear, but it was American pop culture that was all the rage for Flagstuff’s founder during his youth. Growing up, Mr Nobuyuki Murayama obsessed over 1990s and 2000s skate culture and music, and he was an avid collector of vintage band T-shirts, going on to become a buyer for a cult second-hand store in Tokyo. Those teenage tastes and his love for Americana have unsurprisingly filtered through to his own clothing line, which is replete with graphic slogan T-shirts, but also psychedelic tie-dyed sweats, beanies and Mr Kurt Cobain-worthy cardigans. Meanwhile, collaborations with the likes of US rock bands The Flaming Lips and The Cramps have only multiplied Flagstuff’s credibility among fellow music aficionados.

Those looking to uncover the cultural influences of Liberal Youth Ministry’s Mr Antonio Zaragoza needn’t do much digging. Within the Mexico-based street and skatewear labels’ collections, you’ll find an array of hoodies and T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Death Metal” in suitably eery fonts. But while the genre might traditionally conjure up lashings of leather and acres of black, Liberal Youth Ministry’s wares are surprisingly joyous – bleached and distressed sweats are cast in soft baby blues and lavenders. Velour trousers are doused in bright neon hues and eclectic prints. Even those aforementioned Death Metal hoodies come in a non-threatening shade of pink. Where the gloomy emo look can veer somewhat earnest, this light-hearted, Aztec-infused approach feels fresh, fun and subversive.

Not quite a fashion label, sure, but no list of brands for whom music is integral to their identity is complete without 19-69. With its slogan of “bottling counterculture”, Mr Johan Bergelin’s niche fragrance brand leans heavily into his encyclopaedic knowledge of music history, from West Coast rap to 1980s glam rock. Take Villa Nellcôte, a fresh, floral scent that borrows its name from the Villefranche-sur-Mer mansion where The Rolling Stones recorded Exile On Main St. Or the violet-leaf-infused Purple Haze, designed to evoke the 1969 Woodstock Art and Music Festival. There’s also Chronic, a So Cal-inspired scent with a generous shot of cannabis accord whose name hints to Dr Dre’s debut album, while the heady Habana, with notes of saffron and oud, pays homage to Cuba’s “golden era” of music between the 1930s and 1950s. Each fragrance is even accompanied by its own Spotify playlist, allowing fans of the brand to immerse themselves in a multi-sensory experience.