Akira Isogawa

Akira Isogawa (五十川明, Isogawa Akira, b. 25 December 1964) is one of Australia's most prominent contemporary fashion designers.

Isogawa at 2013 Prix de marie claire Awards, in March 2013

Early life

Born in Kyoto, Japan in 1964, he emigrated to Australia in 1986. In his early 20s, Isogawa worked in Japanese restaurants and as a tour guide.[1] He studied fashion at the East Sydney Technical College drawing inspiration from contemporary Japanese design.

Career
Isogawa creations on parade at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney, Australia (May 2012)

Isogawa opened a store in Woollahra, Sydney, in 1993.

By the late 1990s, he was known internationally. His clothes appear under his own label and are sold in Australia and New Zealand, and 10 other countries. He is one of the few Australian designers to exhibit and sell his clothing in Paris, His commercial fashion label, Akira, concentrates on women's fashion.

Other

Isogawa's designs have been exhibited in a number of major Australian galleries. A number of his lavish costume creations while a student survive in a catalogued retrospective of the RAT Party era kept at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. He has also worked as a costume designer for the Sydney Dance Company.

Isogawa has a passion for animals and incorporates his beliefs into his design philosophy. "I consider myself a compassionate member of society. I understand that our actions impact on all living beings and wonder why we resort to such cruelty when there are so many man-made materials that we can use."[2] In 2011 he joined the council of Voiceless, the animal protection institute.[3]

Honours

In 2005, he was honoured on a commemorative Australian postage stamp,[4] along with other Australian fashion designers, Collette Dinnigan, Carla Zampatti, Joe Saba, Jenny Bannister and Prue Acton.

Footnotes
  1. Kitagawa, Jane (23 November 2019). "Akira Isogawa: Australia's darling of fashion". The Japan Times. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. "Designer says fur should stay out of fashion". Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. "Voiceless, the animal protection institute".
  4. http://www.akira.com.au/about-1
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