LAST week, designer Ashley Isham was at a preview gala dinner at the Audi Fashion Festival where he was showing his latest collection when a man walked up and asked if he was the designer of a pink dress that had caught his eye.

'He asked me where I showed my collections and I said London. Then he asked, 'why don't you consider coming to Paris?' ' The man in question turned out to be the haute couture designer Dominique Sirop who was in town last week for the festival.

Thanks to this 'interesting meeting' and after eight-and-a-half years of showing his wares in London, the Singapore-born Isham may well be doing the same at Paris Fashion Week this October.

Indeed, Sirop was so taken with Isham that he went to view his collection at his Fullerton Hotel shop, before going backstage after his fashion show last Friday to convince Isham to go to Paris once again.

'Monsieur Sirop came backstage and told me that if I went to Paris, not only would he personally endorse my designs, a first for him, he would also ensure a meeting with the the president of the Federation franaise de la couture, du pr-porter des couturiers et des createurs de mode, the French fashion industry governing body,' enthuses Isham.

This is not the first time Isham has been invited to show in Paris. He had been asked by the Federation about four years ago with numerous other offers throughout the years, but he turned them down because he felt he was not ready to show alongside brands like Lanvin, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix or Alexander McQueen.

'The thought of actually participating in Paris is scary. After all, I'm a small town Singapore boy.

'In Paris, you're only given one chance. If your collection is not up to scratch, that's it. This is why I wanted to take more time in London to mature as a designer and find my strengths and weaknesses,' recalls Isham.

Sirop's invitation however, came at the right place and the right time. 'It's as though everything just fell into place,' he gushes. 'Just before AFF, I was already discussing with my team about possibly going to Paris, but to get that kind of support and endorsement from a grand couturier really boosts my confidence and makes me seriously consider it. If I do show in Paris, I will show my main line there and a diffusion line in London.

'I think it will also be a great opportunity for me to showcase the jewellery collection I'm designing for Lee Hwa. Imagine, two Singaporean brands being launched in Paris at the same time, how cool would that be?'

His main concern now, of course, is financing: 'Monsieur Sirop and I did some preliminary calculations and it will be more expensive to show in Paris than in London so it would be great if I could find help in terms of funding,' he admits.

'The irony of it all is that I nearly didn't present during AFF. If Lee Hwa had not called me and said they wanted to present my show I would not have participated and I would not have met Monsieur Sirop.

'This just proves that everything happens for a reason and that the fashion festival actually works.'

This article was first published in The Business Times