From The Straits Times    |

From under-the-radar designer labels such as Gareth Pugh and Erdem to famous names such as Roberto Cavalli and Missoni, the glitzy annual Audi Fashion Festival is fast becoming a go-to event for international designers to showcase their latest wares in Asia.

Back for the fifth year, the festival is the flagship event of the Asia Fashion Exchange, which starts today and runs until Sunday.

Supported by the Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore, Spring Singapore, International Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board, the exchange began in 2010 and is a longrunning effort to turn Singapore into Asia’s fashion hub.

Now into its fourth year, the exchange comprises four key events aimed at growing all aspects of the fashion industry together.

They are the Audi Fashion Festival, the runway showcase and the exchange’s flagship event; the Audi Star Creation, a regional fashion design competition; Blueprint, a trade and consumer show for emerging designers; and the Asia Fashion Summit, an industry conference.

Like in previous years, big names are the main draw at the annual fashion extravaganza. This year, top names at the festival include Carolina Herrera, Tsumori Chisato and Hussein Chalayan. They are among the 12 designers who will present their fall/winter 2013 collections at the five-day event, from Wednesday to Sunday.

Singapore gains fashion clout with Asia Fashion Exchange Singapore gains fashion clout with Asia Fashion Exchange  Singapore gains fashion clout with Asia Fashion Exchange
Carolina Herrera, Tsumori Chisato and Hussein Chalayan to show their Autumn-Winter 2013 collections at Audi Fashion Festival 2013

But getting these names here was an uphill battle. International designers generally have to be invited up to a year in advance as many of them have packed schedules. For instance, the process of inviting British-Turkish designer Chalayan, 42, who is best known for his fashion-forward designs and innovative use of fabrics, to headline the Audi Fashion Festival began as early as 2009. At that time, the festival was in its first year and had yet to establish its presence.

Since then, word has spread about Singapore’s quest to become a fashion hub for Asia through the Asia Fashion Exchange.

In an e-mail interview with Life!, festival director Tjin Lee says the Audi Fashion Festival has come a long way since it first began.

“We are seeing increasing awareness and interest from more international designers. We are very pleased to welcome design legend, Hussein Chalayan, who could not attend an earlier instalment of the Audi Fashion Festival, and to have him close the festival in person.”

Starting this year, a new waterfront location at Marina Promenade, adjacent to the F1 Pit Building, will be the venue for the Asia Fashion Exchange events. It is called Fashion by the Bay. Previously, the core events were held at different venues.

About 150 international and regional media have been invited to attend and cover the week-long affair. It is also expected to draw more than 20,000 people, a 30 per cent jump from last year’s 13,200.

Over the years, the fashion exchange has hosted top bloggers such as Filipino BryanBoy and Briton Susie Bubble, as well as reputable fashion titles such as Vogue Italia, Vogue UK and The Huffington Post. It has also received support from regional media, in particular those from China, Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul.

This year’s event will welcome new names such as popular online fashion and lifestyle news sites Refinery29 and Fashionista.com as well as the American edition of Marie Claire magazine.

In terms of approaches to developing the fashion industry, Mr David Wang, vice-president of the Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore, says Singapore is leading the way for the region, especially when it comes to discovering young designers.

Take Audi Star Creation, which is a fashion design competition to spot budding talent from around the region, for example. The number of entries has grown to about 350 participants this year – up from less than 100 in the first year in 2010.

Sister event Blueprint, which takes place from Thursday to Sunday at the Pit Building, is also fulfilling the fashion exchange’s objectives of creating business and networking opportunities for designers by putting Singapore on the international fashion radar.

This year, more than 160 brands from 20 places, including Brazil, Japan, Thailand and Trinidad and Tobago, will take part in the trade show – up 15 per cent from last year’s 140 labels. They will showcase their wares in the hopes of gaining wider brand exposure and more stockists from global and regional retailers.

Last year, 9,000 people shopped at the event which also welcomed 2,123 trade visitors over four days, including 320 buyers from multi-label stores such as New York’s Pixie Market, Japan’s United Arrows and London- based online store Asos.

French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette, who attended the trade show last year, picked up Singapore womenswear label Zardoze for its first South-east Asian store in Jakarta.

This year, the store’s buyers are returning to scout for more brands for its new store in China, slated to open later this year.

While the Asia Fashion Exchange is on the right track to promote Singapore as a fashion hub, Mr Wang feels that more can be done. To stand out from the fashion weeks in Milan and London, he adds, the fashion exchange needs to showcase the best of what Asia has to offer.

As he puts it: “What I hope for, ultimately, is to see more Asian and local designers on the Audi Fashion Festival runway. If designers, the media and the public start demanding that from the Asia Fashion Exchange – that would be the ultimate success. We are getting there and all we need is a little more time.”

AUDI FASHION FESTIVAL
Where: Tent@Marina Promenade
When: Wednesday to Sunday, various times
Admission: $40 to $100 (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
Info: Go to www.asiafashionexchange.com.sg

This article was originally published in The Straits Time on May 13, 2013. Read the full article here on The Straits Times.com.