He does not fit the lavish, flamboyant and chatty image one might expect from an internationally celebrated fashion designer. Modest in demeanour and gentle in speech, there is nothing eccentric or over-the-top about Akira Isogawa.

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Also against stereotype is the composure of someone who has been the subject of countless interviews. That he mulls over what must be familiar questions regarding his work and what inspires him, delivering answers that are clearly unrehearsed and of the moment, is greatly appealing.

He is refreshing but not flashy. Carefully crafted but with a touch of spontaneity. Much like his clothes, really.

Leading fashion critics around the world have their own descriptions of the Akira label but most would agree that Isogawa's Australian and Japanese roots define his style. As Isogawa himself admits, there probably wouldn't be an Akira commercial fashion label had he not come to Australia.

He has certainly been embraced as a contemporary genius in his adopted country, even being named an official "Australian Legend" in Australia Post's commemorative stamp issue of 2005.

Barely a decade earlier, Isogawa's designs first graced the catwalk during the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week - at which he is now an annual feature. In 1999, he was named Designer of the Year and Women's Wear Designer of the Year at the Australian Fashion Industry Awards. Along the way, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths lent him a distinctly Australian celebrity status by wearing his designs.

Overseas, Isogawa has presented in Paris for the spring/summer and autumn/winter collection for nine consecutive years. His label is sold in select boutiques and department stores across Australia and is available at some of the finest women's fashion stores in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.

Isogawa is also renowned for contributions to the Australian arts. The exhibition "Akira Isogawa: Printemps Ete" was showcased at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2004, detailing the creative design process Isogawa used in preparing for that year's presentation of his designs in Paris. His designs have also featured at the Sydney Festival and the Museum of Contemporary Art, while the Sydney Dance Company and Australian Chamber Orchestra have proudly worn his work.

Considering how rapidly his star has risen, Isogawa's down-to-earth nature is welcome. Interviewed in his Surry Hills studio, he is dressed simply: black pants, black t-shirt and a grey jumper.

He may not fit the fashion icon stereotype but then, he never aspired to. Born in Kyoto, Isogawa arrived in Sydney in 1986 with a working holiday visa in his hand and no particular reason, aim or direction on his mind.

"I had just graduated from a social work degree ... It had nothing to do with fashion design," Isogawa recalls.

"I didn't look for a job after my degree because I hadn't really perceived myself settling down with a job yet. I figured something new might come about in my life through new experiences - which is why I decided to go overseas."

He remembers a sense of liberation as he sampled the Australian way of life.

"In Japan, I think there is pressure to behave according to expectation and to uphold social norms through conformity. I didn't feel that as much here ... I could relax a lot more. That's something I like about Australia to this day."

Extending his year-long stay, Isogawa chose to study fashion design at East Sydney TAFE to satisfy a creative urge. Being away from Japanese expectations made the decision easier. Whether he was actually good at design was less of an issue for Isogawa than simply "having a go".

With no particular career path or dream, Isogawa began his fashion design studies in the early 1990s. He recalls classmates being sensitive to the trends coming out of London at the time - be they celebrities or successful European designers, they were the source of student inspiration.

Isogawa said he ignored these new trends and even the currency of local Sydney fashion.

"If anything, I think I was a little more interested in Japan and Japanese designers like Issei Miyake than the European ones my classmates were into.

"I was especially attracted to the designers who had unique perceptions on the various methods of design. For example, Issei Miyake designed a whole outfit that was made from a single piece of fabric when conventionally clothes are made from sewing different fabrics together. Things like that I found very interesting.

"It's hard to say how much of my work has been influenced by such designers, but I do think there are elements of ﾔJapan' in my work when it comes to creating patterns and choosing fabrics."

After graduating from college, Isogawa forged a living from selling his designs to Sydney boutiques and juggling a few casual jobs.

"I would design clothes and ask boutique stores to put them on the shop floor. I actually didn't get any job offers in the fashion industry that I went for, so that was the only way I could sell my designs and have them exposed."

In 1993, Isogawa launched his own store in Woollahra. His creativity may have opened the door, but good business sense kept it open. Isogawa said he learnt to cater to his clients' wishes rather than simply make clothes for his own pleasure. If the clothes didn't sell, he couldn't pay the rent. It is a lesson that remains with him today.

"Although I can experiment with unique and new styles in my own boutique stores, I'm a bit wary of trying things out that are totally original at large retailers like David Jones, where it is important for the clothes to sell."

Isogawa says he also restrains his artistic sense in deference to the desires of those around him. Many of his inspirations are from female friends and he is also sensitive to the suggestions of sales assistants at his boutique stores.

"The way I express through design isn't exactly ground-breaking like some (designers) and I don't want them to be," he says.

"My designs are moderate and subtle. The way I express isn't so imposing on the person who wears it, but more in moderation."

Isogawa says he is also conscious of retaining simplicity in his designs, so they aren't easily affected by changing fashion trends. He also has respect for tradition in design.

"I come from a fairly conservative family who embody traditional lifestyles ... My family often consciously refused to accept ﾔnew' things,'' Isogawa says.

"Maybe that had an influence on how I design my clothes today. Not to make something because of its currency, but to design clothes that transcend time."

On his website, Isogawa reveals a great respect for intricate craftsmanship. His philosophy is that garments that transcend possess a soul. He likes to translate those fabrics into soft and romantic silhouettes, using natural fabrics like silk and cottons that are kind to the skin.

For Isogawa, even one-off fabrics found in flea markets can be given extended life.

"Distressing fabrics and alchemically treating them, gives the feeling of already ﾔbeing loved', thus evoking emotion," he says.

Isogawa has recently returned from overseas, which means that he has begun work on his next set of designs for the October (spring/summer) Paris Fashion Week. Putting in at least five months' work for every season, he usually begins by going abroad to design the fabrics he will use.

Isogawa says most of his leisure time is used for designing. Although he is in his studio almost seven days a week, much of that is spent on meeting client demands and deadlines, looking after his studio, his staff and his business.

Even in those rare moments when he feels completely free to do what he wants, Isogawa says he cannot entirely separate his lifestyle from his work. When he is watching movies, for example, he would still be aware of the elements on the screen that may appeal to him in a design sense.

"If I went on holiday to a beautiful island resort and was told to relax, I think I would get the jitters and not be able to," he says.

Isogawa agrees that this appears to contradict his initial and enduring attraction to Australia's more carefree lifestyle.

"Whether it's to do with business, or keeping meeting times or dates or plans, there isn't as much sense of urgency to be precise (in Australia) ..."

Yet had he not immersed himself in Australian culture, Isogawa's fashion design would have been completely different or even non-existent.

To Isogawa, success is defined as "freedom" and "abundance". Raised in Japan and regaled in Australia, he appears to have found both.