Akira Isogawa is one of Australia’s most recognized modern-day fashion designers. He was born in Japan, but immigrated to Australia in 1986. Very early in his career he joined the ranks of the small group of elite Japanese fashion designers alongside Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto (both of whom Isogawa counts as designers he looks up to).
Isogawa studied fashion design at East Sydney College, worked s bevy of different jobs to save money and in 1995 opened his first boutique, Akira Isogawa, in Woollahra, a suburb of Sydney. He sells his clothing under the Akira label and he is one of the few Australian designers to exhibit and sell his clothing in Paris.
As well as having commercial success, Isogawa’s creations have been exhibited in a number of major Australian art galleries, he has worked as a costume designer for the Sydney Dance Company and in January 2005, along with six other designers, he was honored with an Australian postage stamp. He was chosen based on his contribution to the evolution of contemporary Australian fashion as well as their influence on Australian national identity – undeniably a huge honor for any artist.
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