The two orcas at Smashie are actually mother and daughter. Stella is the mother and Ran is the daughter. We created an all-over pattern featuring the two of them and made it into a cool cotton-linen shirt. Their body lengths are almost the same, but Stella is just a little bigger. We made sure to reflect the characteristics of both orcas in the design, such as the shape of their dorsal fins and the white markings around their eyes. The model photos were taken at the restaurant on the first floor of Orca Stadium. Stella, Ran, and their trainer also cooperated during the shoot, and we took pictures with the two models. It was a very fun shoot.
The Kobe Municipal Suma Seaside Aquarium, with whom we previously collaborated on clothing design for an aquarium-themed project, closed in May 2023 and reopened in June 2024 as "Kobe Suma Sea World." At the newly renovated Kobe Suma Sea World, you can see not only the fish that were there when it was an aquarium, but also orcas! I was so impressed by the orca performance I saw when I was in elementary school, and I was really looking forward to the orcas coming to Kobe Suma Sea World. Apparently, orcas are incredibly popular not only with me but with visitors as well. So, although they aren't technically fish, we unanimously decided to create clothing inspired by the orcas Stella and Ran. This time, the clothing is also FELISSIMO 60th Anniversary commemorative product with a portion of the proceeds going to the "Sea Fund," promoted by FELISSIMO 's "Sea and seagull club Club."