FASHION FESTIVAL 2001 POISED TO POSITION SINGAPORE AS A REGIONAL FASHION CAPITAL

Singapore will take on the fashion capitals of the world with the launch of the first ever Fashion Festival in March next year. Renowned international fashion brands such as Kenzo, Moschino, Boycott, OZOC, Diesel, Armani Exchange, Guess and more will showcase their latest works in the most exciting fashion extravaganza ever organised in the region.

Fashion Festival 2001, which takes place from March 16 to 31, will become an annual festival in Singapore as part of the strategy to entrench the event here and position Singapore as a vibrant city and the region's fashion capital.

At the helm of these ambitious plans is MS Twilight, a regional event management company known for organising entertainment-related events. Twilight has carved a reputation for staging fashion events over the recent years having successfully organised Fashion Coalition, which is a series of fashion events which showcased new generation designers for shows such as InspirationUK (1999) and French Fashion Furor (2000).

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), a key supporter of Fashion Festival, is making a strong bid to bring such keynote events to Singapore to strengthen the country's image as a world tourism capital.

STB's Chief Executive, Mr Yeo Khee Leng, said: "It is through such strategic positioning that Singapore's competitive edge as a destination will be sharpened. The STB and its partners in the industry have always adopted an integrated approach to find innovative ways to get Singapore noticed. The Fashion Festival is exemplary of this approach and will provide a major drawcard for visitors especially those from the ASEAN region - to Singapore."

The Fashion Festival will pulsate with the glamour and glitter of the latest collections from international brand names, as well as up-and-coming couture designers from Paris, in various fashion events ranging from a gala dinner to a fashion parade.

There will also be an exhibition of fashion illustrations by the world-renowned fashion illustrator, Rene Gruau. With 100 original illustrations covering all fashion styles of this century, this is one of the most comprehensive and interesting collections in the history of fashion.

The Fashion Festival will also see active participation from retailers and shopping malls. First-in-the-region fashion product launches will enable consumers to catch the latest fashion products not available elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

These are just some of the elements of Singapore's Fashion Festival. Other ideas are also being explored to turn the entire festival into a truly dazzling and glamorous fashion extravaganza. Collectively, these elements will make a strong fashion statement for the Republic.

MS Twilight,s Chief Executive, Mr David Lim, said his company was committed to promoting Singapore's immense potential as a prime destination for fashion houses to launch their Spring/Summer collections in Southeast Asia.

"The Fashion Festival provides excellent opportunities for the cross-fertilisation of creative ideas and experiences with world-class fashion professionals," he said. "All in all the event has tremendous potential to push Singapore into the fashion forefront in the region."

Various leading fashion consultants will work with participating fashion labels to make the Fashion Festival the most important fashion event in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Support for the Fashion Festival also comes from the Singapore Retailers Association.

With the Fashion Festival in place, Singapore will ride on its own infrastructure of world-class airports, ports, and communications to become the fashion capital of Southeast Asia, joining the international fashion circuit.