When Ayaka Sakurai was still an art student, she won top prize in The Grayson Perry Frock contest. Her winning was an indication of things to come and that she is one of the emerging Japanese fashion designers to watch. Her winning piece was a creation to die for especially among the young as the image she used in her creation was inspired from André Courrèges shapes with elaborate Alan Measles space print. It was a beautiful creation that really glows in the dark.
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In 2014, she ended up as one of the top graduates of Central Saint Martin School of Fashion in London. Her creations were focused on prints. According to her, she did not intend to study fashion but had a change of mind a month before she departed for London. Her original plan was to study for a year just to experience life outside of Japan and of course learn the English language. Initially, she thought that fashion is only good for people with a high sense of fashion and not with people like her. That one year study purpose evolved and eventually, she earned a degree in architecture.
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She took a basic course in fashion and her graduate collection was all about glitch music where she created contrasting ensembles of fabrics and glittery materials like sequins. As a result, she created old school fashion clothing with retro–feel and futuristic essence. With the two degrees she earned, she looks ahead but doesn’t have an actual plan. She is specializing right now in fashion print but nixed the idea of being a textile designer. What she has in mind is a career that allows her flexibility and creativity.
If you will look up her wining creation in the Grayson Frock contest, you will know that she indeed has tricks up her sleeve to make it successful as her ideas are very much in tuned with people both young and old.
