NOT MADE IN JAPAN

"A GARMENT CAN TRANSCEND, GIVING IT A SOUL"

AKIRA ISOGAWA IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST DISTINCTIVE AND RESPECTED CONTEMPORARY DESIGNERS.

BORN IN JAPAN, HE IMMIGRATED TO SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA IN 1986 WHERE HE BEGAN DESIGNING FOR FASHION.

ISOGAWA'S  FIRST SIGNATURE COLLECTION, 'NOT MADE IN JAPAN', WAS LAUNCHED IN 1994 AND TWO YEARS LATER AT THE INAUGURAL MERCEDES AUSTRALIAN FASHION WEEK HIS SPRING SUMMER 1996/97 COLLECTION RECEIVED MAJOR ATTENTION AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM.

AKIRA'S PARTICULAR DESIGN SENSIBILITY DRAWS UPON THE COSTUME AND TEXTILE TRADITIONS OF HIS NATIVE JAPANESE HERITAGE AND REINTERPRETS THEM ACCORDING TO THE MORE RELAXED INFLUENCES OF AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDES AND ENVIRONMENT.

THE PIONEER DESIGNER IS ALWAYS WILLING TO WORK WITH OTHERS; FROM COLLABORATIONS WITH THE SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY TO MASTER ORIGAMI MAKER TAKAHIRO SHIRAI, RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING THE DISTINCTIVE 'FOLD' DESIGN ELEMENT TO THE DESIGNER'S GARMENTS.

AKIRA SAYS "SINCE I LEFT KYOTO I'VE BECOME MUCH LESS TRADITIONAL. I DO NOT VALUE THOSE TRADITIONS ANY LONGER. I CONSIDER MYSELF AUSTRALIAN. I FEEL UPLIFTED TO THINK I'M FREE FROM TRADITION".

IN 2018, AKIRA CELEBRATED 25 YEARS IN THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION INDUSTRY AND CONTINUES TO BE AT THE FORE FRONT OF AUSTRALIAN FASHION.