Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: When you were designing the outfit, there was a point where you suggested for him to not overdesign. Looking back, knowing that you were eliminated would you have let Kevin run with it?

A. Akiko: If I told you what he wanted to design I probably should have let him do it, had I known we were going to be eliminated. He wanted to do a fur jumpsuit. I should have just let him go out with a bang and let him do it. It would have made great TV.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Were you surprised by the elimination?

A. Akiko: Yes, actually I was really surprised. Even when we were on stage, we didn’t understand if we were in the top 3 or the bottom 3. They say all these good things and then they say bad things to each person. When we were in the bottom, we thought there was no way there we were going home over Roberto’s outfit. 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Out of the bottom 3 it seemed like yours was the most well received. When you saw the 3 pieces together did you think it was lacking continuity?

A. Akiko: I was thinking about that after I saw the episode last night, because the whole thing with continuity, I design 10 collections a year and you have a look and a color story that goes together, and you have the same customer that would wear each one.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: How did you feel the judging was for the show?

A. Akiko: I felt like they kind of knew who was going home every episode, even before they saw any of the garments.  We were all confused by it.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Who do you think has the best shot of winning?

A. Akiko: I think Merle and Thai. She is really clear on her look and she definitely has the best expert. Thai is like a machine. He is faster than any of my sample sewers. His parents own a sewing school so he has probably been sewing since he could walk. 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: What are you working on currently? 

A. Akiko: I have my own line and I have to turn out a new collection basically every month. You can find it online at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and some specialty boutiques, plus my own website, akikoonline.com

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: How did you think everyone got along on the show?

A. Akiko: I think it was pretty good. Especially all of the experts, we all still stay in contact. If anything, I made some good friends out of the show.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: How was it working with Kevin?

A. Akiko: Well, Kevin was entertaining but I kind of felt like when I got paired up with him, I thought “Well, I guess I will be going home pretty soon.” Because he doesn’t know what the hell is going on. He never really had a clear vision of what he wanted. He would just kind of throw things out like “How about a ruffle?” but where would he want to the ruffle? I think you kind of pick and choose your battles though, some of the other experts had professionals that had very specific ideas of what they wanted, but then what they wanted wasn’t even physically possible. Like, defying gravity… 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: None of the professionals seem to have any sewing experience. Was that true?

A. Akiko: No, none of them had sewing experience. So it was weird, because a lot of the times they would feel anxious because they can’t do anything. They would just sit there and watch us do all of the work.  Half of the time Kevin would be asleep, and I would have to wake him up. 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Was the outfit what you expected it to be at the end?

A. Akiko: Um, no. It definitely came out a lot uglier than I thought but in the short amount of time, and considering that I haven’t sewed anything myself in 10 years and my model’s torso was 6 inches longer than the mannequin I was draping. 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: It seemed like the size of the models were a problem all around last night?

A. Akiko: The thing is, they just give us their model card measurements. On the card everyone is a 34 B, 24, 36. The model card is never what they really are. When they get there, it is just a whole other story. Another thing too, is the length of the torso. Since it was a one piece jumpsuit, that was important and we didn’t get that measurement. I had left an extra 3 inches for adjustment and when she got there I ended up with a 1/8th of an inch. Ok, well, I guess she can’t sit down! 

Watch an all new espisode of Launch My Line next Wednesday night at 10 p.m.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

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