‘Fresh, clean look at fashion’, ‘Revolution on the podiums’, ‘Leap into the future, with respect to the past’ – these were the loud headlines of fashion magazines when they published articles about Tyler Nomura, the new rising star of the fashion industry. In just a couple of years, an unknown artist became a real celebrity and one of the most popular clothing designer.

September 9, New York Fashion Week. The music died down, the triumphant show ended. To thunderous applause, Tyler left the podium, going backstage. There he was met by a new wave of joyful exclamations. Everyone wanted to congratulate the young designer on his first successful fashion show of such a large scale. Tyler nodded, confused, and forced a restrained smile, trying to break through the crowd of models, makeup artists, assistants and other people who were thirsty for his attention on this grueling day.

Having politely excused himself, the young man finally slipped out of the stuffy backstage of the fashion show. Walking quickly down the empty hallway, he pushed the door and finally felt the cool air hit him in the face. Tyler went outside, leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Perhaps this was the hardest day of his life.

He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. His hands were still shaking slightly. Adrenaline, excitement, endless fuss and the need to control everything at once had taken their toll. He was simply exhausted. More than anything, he wanted to slip away, get into his car and drive somewhere quiet.