JEROME AWASTHI , SHOW PRODUCER

JEROME Awasthi used to strut his stuff down the catwalk, now he pilots the fashion runway.

The former model is a show producer, the maestro who pulls various strings - choosing the music, deciding on lighting, selecting mannequins and choreographing their movements - to put together a fashion show. 'I love producing shows. It's something which gets you totally immersed and involved,' he says.

Awasthi, 29, recently struck out on his own after working for several years with runway show producer Daniel Boey.

In an obvious nod to his talents, Asia Fashion Exchange organisers have appointed him to produce six shows for the festival, such as those for high-end boutique label Marchesa and a Singapore showcase featuring several of the island's hottest talents.

Each show will feature at least 15 mannequins, with a couple starring Korean supermodel Song Kyunga.

Not that Awasthi is a stranger to supermodels. He has worked with Emma Pei from China and Swede Marcus Schenkenberg in past Singapore Fashion Festivals.

The elder of two children of an Indian businessman and a Chinese housewife, Awasthi has a diploma in hospitality management from Temasek Polytechnic, and a marketing degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. 'My dad was a keen photographer and mum used to study men's fashion, so I guess I inherited some of their genes,' says Awasthi.

At 21, he was spotted by Boey, from whom he learnt the finer points of styling and show producing. Two years later, he left for Hong Kong to help out in his family's import and export business.

But he could not resist the siren call of fashion and was soon helping a stylist on shoots and in runway shows for the Hong Kong Fashion Week.

He returned to Singapore to work with Boey again before striking out on his own.

He regularly styles talent for TV commercials, fashion spreads and covers for fashion publications here. Styling a shoot, he says, is easier than piloting a runway production.

'You have to be absolutely focused when producing a show. You have to plan everything because everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Heels can break, causing models to fall, child models can suddenly freak out, power supplies can go off...You have to be prepared for all emergencies.

'But when everything goes right, the feeling of satisfaction is indescribably immense.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.