Los Angeles based designer Ashton Hirota shut down the streets of Hollywood to debut his 2018 “Mercy Collection” from his eponymous label Ashton Michael. With the sunset as a backdrop, a diverse array of male and female pierced and tattooed models walked down a flower-adorned pavement runway to classic grunge and punk rock tunes dressed Hirota’s bold fusion of streetwear and high fashion. Guests included LA’s top celebrity stylists, social media influencers, and musicians like Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel, Marian Hill, and Krewella. The “Mercy Collection” was inspired by the Japanese bondage artform of Shibari, in which ropes are intricately tied into geometric patterns against the human form. Ropes were present throughout the collection, used as shirt drawstrings, corset ties, and harnesses. Juxtaposed with the bondage theme, a color palette of beige, khaki, robin’s egg blue softened the collection, while pops of black leather brought it back to its fetish roots. Guests were thrilled with the new collection and continued the celebration at Beauty & Essex in Hollywood.