Editor in Chief of VAULT Magazine, Alison Kubler joins the inimitable fashion designer Akira Isogawa and Powerhouse Museum creative resident Jordan Gogos, as they discuss their influences and avant-garde approach to collaboration in art and fashion.

Presented in partnership with Glenfiddich.

This talk will take place in the CONVERSATIONS space at Melbourne Art Fair.

Moderator: Alison Kubler, Editor in Chief, VAULT
Speakers: Akira Isogawa, Designer, and Jordan Gogos, Artist, Fashion Designer, Furniture Designer

Alison Kubler, Editor in Chief, VAULT
Alison Kubler has a double major in Art History from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Masters in Post-war and Contemporary Art History from Manchester University, England. She has over 25 years’ experience as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia, and on major public art commissions. She worked as Arts Adviser to the Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, held full-time curatorial positions at QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and worked as Associate Curator, at the University of Queensland Art Museum. Alison is Editor in Chief of VAULT (vaultmagazine.com), a journal of art and culture and a regular contributor to art magazines and journals. She is a Member of the Council of the National Gallery, Chair of the Collections Committee of the National Gallery, Committee Member of Know My Name and is a Principal of Renshaw & Kubler Art Consultants. Alison is also co-author of Art and Fashion in the Twentieth Century published by Thames and Hudson UK (2013).

Akira Isogawa, Designer
Akira Isogawa is one of Australia’s most iconic designers. Born in Kyoto Japan, Akira moved to Australia in 1986 where he studied fashion design at the Sydney Institute of Technology. Since being named Designer of the Year and Womenswear Designer of the year at the Australian Fashion Industry Awards in 1999, Akira had received a string of Awards. In 2007 he was awarded the Inaugural Australian Fashion Laureate Award for his contribution to the Australian Fashion Industry. His work has been fondly embraced by the Australian Arts Sector. In 2004, Akira Isogawa: Printemps Ete opened at the National Gallery of Victoria – the first solo fashion and textile exhibition by an Australian Fashion Designer to be presented at a major national or state institution, touring thereafter in Singapore, Manila, and Bangkok. The most recently, his work was included in an exhibition Kimono : Kyoto to Runway at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Jordan Gogos, Artist, Fashion Designer, Furniture Designer
Jordan Gogos is an Eora (Sydney) based, queer, Greek-Australian, multidisciplinary artist and Powerhouse Museum creative resident, known for his textile art and object/furniture design. He debuted his namesake brand, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos at AAFW 2021 and in 2022 cemented his name as an artist breaking from convention at AAFW 2022. Gogos uses industrialised techniques to create a combination of colour and textiles, resulting in ‘wearable art’ and structural pieces reflective of his boundless energy and bold output. Works currently are in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Powerhouse Museum. He has acted as contributor to leading publications such as Vogue and Harper’s BAZAAR. Gogos was named GQ’s 2022 Creative Force Man Of The Year, which recognised his fluid designs, all often in collaboration with different artists, creatives and brands.

To attend this talk, purchase a ticket to Melbourne Art Fair here.