Secretary General's Message

2010 has indeed been an eventful year for the Textile & Fashion Federation (TaFf).  It was the year that the inaugural Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) commenced from the 28th April to the 01st May 2010.  An amalgamation of the Singapore Fashion Week and Singapore Fashion Festival, the aim of the AFX is not only to develop the fashion industry locally, but regionally as well.  With this birth of AFX, TaFf is in the forefront of developing Singapore as the Asian Fashion Hub.  Under the AFX umbrella of events, TaFf spearheaded 3 out of the 4 main pillars, namely:

1. Asia Fashion Summit (AFS) – a unique conference not like its counterparts which focuses on sourcing.  AFS dwell deeper into issues which address designers and retailers’ concerns such as how to enter a specific target market like Japan, Europe or the US, where the marketing and media opportunities lie and how businesses can maximise on the emerging expansion of Asian markets such as China and India.

2. Blueprint (BP) – a fashion trade show that highlights local and regional brands of contemporary clothing, accessories, footwear and more.  The show is designed exclusively to cater for exciting emerging, established and niche designers and fashion labels who are ready to be exported to international buyers, traders and the fashion media.

3. Star Creation – a regional fashion design competition that TaFf organises in the search for upcoming fashion design talents, locally and regionally.  The competition not only awards a substantial cash prize, but it also provides the top 3 winners with the chance to work with a renowned fashion house – F J Benjamin (Singapore) for 12 months.

The 4th pillar being the privately sponsored Audi Fashion Festival, which has grown from strength to strength and has now joined the AFX, in its continuation to bringing in internationally renowned fashion designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Henry Holland and D-Squared.

Moving beyond industry development, TaFf continues to harness closer cooperation amongst its members and industry related players.  Textile machinery manufacturers, textile chemicals and dyes companies, textile research and development agencies and other partners include academia and banks recognised the added-value and thus have all joined TaFf as its members.

With one common platform of communication and information exchange, TaFf has progressed into a one-stop solutions provider.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Mr Chris Koh for all his guidance and mentorship as I take up this role as TaFf’s new Secretary-General and I look forward to continue working closely with our TaFf members and potential TaFf members in developing and strengthening Singapore’s textiles & fashion industry.