ALICIA ONG , FASHION DESIGNER

NEW York beckoned but Singaporean fashion designer Alicia Ong has decided she will show her first international collection on home ground.

Although she officially launched her al&alison womenswear label only last November, the graduate from New York's Parsons The New School of Design has already attracted the attention of many overseas buyers.

'I was approached by several multi-label showrooms to put on a show with other labels at the New York Fashion Week in February,' says Ong, 27, whose clothes are available online and at the Antipodean boutique in Holland Village and To The Nines at Orchard Central.

'But when I heard about this year's Blueprint event, I decided to launch my collection here instead.

Ong, who also has a National University of Singapore business degree, feels the timing is perfect.

'It's a trade event attended by a lot of foreign press and buyers. There's also Blueprint Emporium,' she says, referring to the one-day event where the public can view and buy collections by Singaporean and regional designers.

'And with the opening of the integrated resorts, there's a lot of international attention on Singapore.'

The second of four children of a businessman and a retired accountant, she worked briefly in the private banking industry here before heading for Parsons to study fashion design.

After graduating in 2007, she interned for designer Marc Jacobs before becoming a freelance designer for J Crew and DKNY. In 2008, she returned to Singapore and freelanced for local designer Wykidd Song before striking out on her own.

Like others in the fashion game here, she sees the new AFX as a good thing for Singapore fashion.

'It would cost between US$4,000 (S$5,500) and US$6,000 to stage a show in New York. It costs about 11/2 times less here, and IE Singapore is also helping us with a grant,' she says.

'I'm both excited and nervous. This is the first time I'm showing to an international audience and I don't know what to expect.'