Akira Isogawa:“I work intuitively. If something doesn’t feel right,I just don’t go there and don’t analyse why.”James Brickwood
RELIGION
Did you grow up religious?I grew up in an environment where my family believed in Buddha,but I do not practise religion any more.
So you wouldn’t put “Buddhist” down on the census?Not at all. I do not want to be controversial by saying what is good or what is worse,but I felt[with Buddhism] that there was a feeling of alwaystrying to be good. I just wanted to be free.
Is there anything you’ve kept or retained from growing up Buddhist?Patience. The fact that I had to – even as a little three-year-old – sit for quite a length of time to listen to the teachings of Buddha,gave me some sense of discipline. I can sit for a long time without feeling pain in my legs.
So patience,discipline,endurance. Do these things help if you’re going to be a fashion designer?Actually,fashion does move really fast. But I’m kind of the opposite.
When you’re preparing for Fashion Week,which I imagine would be stressful …Oh,I’m feeling stressed already,thinking about it.
… do you have any superstitions when it comes to putting on a show?I used to. A week before the show,I’d bring one of my favourite vintage kimono textiles,or even a ready-made kimono and I’d unpick it and cut it into a brand new dress. That was my ritual in the early days. When I did that,I felt as if I’d sacrificed something precious. But now I don’t. Maybe it has to do with confidence.
What are your fashion commandments?I work intuitively. If it doesn’t feel right,I just don’t go there and don’t analyse why. But I dislike the idea of feeding your ego. I’ve been told that when I was in my 20s and trying to make it in the fashion industry,I thought about myself all the time and was self-centred. I’ve stepped back. So,“Be selfless.”
DEATH
If you were to die today,what would you be most proud of having done?I would say I’m proud of making up with my father,who passed away last year in December.
Oh,I’m so sorry to hear that,Akira. How old was he when he died?Ninety-one.
What a long life. Tell me more about why it was important for you and him to reconcile.For the last 10 years of his life,I was quite touched by his vulnerability,so I’m proud of myself for being able to reconnect with him.
Why had it been so difficult before then?He was absent. He was out all the time,working. When I was seven or eight years old,he came home at probably two or three in the morning. When I got up to pee,I went to the bathroom and he was lying on the floor. I thought he was dead,but he was drunk. That was part of the job of a salaryman:having this life where he hardly connected with his family. For me,he didn’t exist. I remember seeing him maybe twice a week.
What changed in your relationship?What I realised was that he wasn’t willing to make any effort. So it was me deciding to make a move. I started to open up by just showing him press clippings of my work,which I’d never done before.
He hadn’t been aware of how big your career was?What he said was … he knew all of that.
Oh. But you didn’t know that he knew.Exactly. My mother used to hide the clippings from him because he was very much against me coming to Australia. When my mother told him I’d left Japan,he was outraged. It was terrible for a long time.
What happened after you showed him your press clippings?I started asking a lot of questions about his life. “Who is this guy?” you know. Like,I didn’t know him at all.[Laughs]
Lots of people have similar distance from their parents. If they wanted to reconnect,what would you recommend?What I would say is,you have to make an effort without expecting he or she will make the same effort. You can’t afford to expect something back. It doesn’t work both ways.
Would you say you’re still grieving at the moment?Traditionally,we’re meant to grieve for 12 months. I’m returning to Japan in December;that’s when official grieving ends. But I am grieving still. And he’s transitioning[from one realm to another].
BODIES
Is it true you grew your facial hair when you first moved to Australia so that people wouldn’t think you were a child?It’s true. When I first came to Australia,I really wanted to get Doc Martens shoes. But the smallest size they had was still too big for me. They said,“Don’t worry,you’re growing up. You’re still a kid.” I was 21! I thought,“Oh,my god,I must look like a 12-year-old!”
Nowadays,what constitutes the kind of body you want to see on the runway modelling your clothes – or what kind of clientele would you like to see wearing them? Or are they for anybody?Oh,I’ve thought about this a lot,actually. Recently,I had the opportunity to collaborate with[fashion designer] Jordan Gogos[for Australian Fashion Week].
And every kind of body was on that runway.Yes! So I think it’s really important for me to make sure my designs are ones we can all access. I feel that’s really important:for[all] people to feel special.
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