This was the show I was most excited about. As soon as I saw Akira on the schedule I knew it would be a stand-out; it far exceeded my expectations and let me tell you my expectations were high. The show was magical! I have never before been so moved by a show. As the show progressed I could feel myself slowly becoming more emotional and by the end all I wanted to do was cry, but I tried to keep my cool and luckily only a few tears ran down my cheeks – I say luckily because once I start crying it takes forever for me to stop.

I had attended the Q&A session with Akira Isogawa at Claremont Quarter the night before and heard him speak of his past, his experiences, his inspirations and more. Perhaps it was in hearing his words that I was predisposed to feel so emotional during his show, and I’m so happy I had the opportunity to. This year marked Akira’s 20th year since first showing at Fashion Week in Sydney and the red Adidas sneakers gave nod to where it all began; for that very collection Akira couldn’t afford to put models in shoes so instead they wore red socks.

Everything about this show was delicate. The images of the clothes speak for themselves – the layering, the embroidery, colours, fabrics, the list goes on. The screens projected an animated illustration of falling leaves. The models walked slowly and gracefully to the minimal instrumental soundtrack. Local florist Rebecca Grace of Natural Art Flowers created the floral pieces; these details worked so harmoniously with the clothes. It was like we were given a glimpse into a world inhabited by ethereal nymph-like fairies and it was absolutely breathtaking.