Catwalk glam in Singapore

Move over Milan, Paris and New York – forget the Singapore Sling and think slingbacks as Singapore style takes centre stage with the inaugural Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX). Taking place from 28 April - 02 May 2010, the event will bring together top fashion icons from around the world along with the latest in home grown design.

Asia’s retail Mecca with round the clock shopping, Singapore is home to a vibrant arts scene and buzzing nightlife. Rich in culture and heritage but constantly evolving, it comes as no surprise that the city-state is a focal point for designers and fashionistas throughout the region, a hub for cultivating talent. Now with the launch of the first ever Asia Fashion Exchange, Singapore is set to take this to an international platform, enhancing its emerging status as a world fashion capital.

AFX will include speaker sessions, forums and workshops (Asia Fashion Summit), world class collections by top international designers and labels (Audi Fashion Festival) as well as a fashion tradeshow (Blueprint).

The Asia Fashion Summit will bring together fashion industry professionals from across Asia to report on topics ranging from fashion brand building, trend forecasts, eco-fashion sustainability and fast retailing to the increasingly savvy consumer.

The Audi Fashion Festival will include special customised collections by designers from Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and India as well as pieces from up and coming British designers. This year, participants from the UK will include KTZ: Krystal, Ozaki, Paparazzi and SIX. Singapore designers will include international labels RAOUL and alldressedup, established and emerging designers such as Ben Wu, Abyzz by Desmond Yang and Antebellum, the return of celebrated couturier Laichan and the debut of a menswear line by local design darling, Wykidd Song.

Blueprint is a business-to-business fashion tradeshow targeting regional and international fashion professionals and the first of its kind to bring together the best of Asian designers and international buyers. It will include Blueprint Emporium which members of the public can attend to sample the offerings of original and emerging brands.

Visitors to Singapore can also take in the Fashion Season @ Orchard 2010 which is running in conjunction with AFX – a six-week extravaganza featuring catwalks, styling workshops and other fashion-related and shopping events which began on 2 April and runs through to 9 May 2010.

For more information, visit stb.com.sg.