Leading up to the AFX is Fashion Season @ Orchard, a six-week campaign of shows, parties and shopping and dining promotions. It is presented by the Orchard Road Business Association and co-organised by Singapore Press Holdings.

TaFf director Callia Chua sums up the AFX’s ambition: “Raw talent is identified through Star Creation and then nurtured (till) the designer is export-ready and suitable to be showcased at Blueprint.

“Following that, hopefully he or she is good enough to be snapped up by an international buyer, thereby gaining enough international recognition to finally merit a show at Audi Fashion Festival.”

Mrs Kee Ai Nah, director of the lifestyle division of Spring Singapore, adds: “The idea is to develop a strong base of local design talent, stimulate demand for local brands locally and internationally, and position Singapore as a gateway to Asian designers and markets.”

The AFX is not the first attempt to turn the little red dot into a fashion city. In 2001, the STB launched the Singapore Fashion Festival (SFF), hoping to brand Singapore as a fashion and shopping destination.

It was meant to complement Singapore Fashion Week (SFW), which TaFf has organised for over 20 years to develop local designers and help them gain a foothold in overseas markets.

But instead of generating more buzz, the two festivals only caused confusion. The public could not quite tell the difference between the two and wondered why resources could not have been pooled.

There were also accusations that the SFF, with its invitation-only events and focus on international brands, was too elitist, while others claimed the SFW did not do enough to market local designers.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times.