DALLAS, May 1, 2010 / FW/ — Bursting onto the fashion stage, Singapore lists itself as Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) on the fashion calendar with the inaugural fashion week slated on April 28-May 2, 2010.

Featuring a roster of more than 50 established and emerging designers from Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and India, the island city-state aims to spotlight Singapore as the gateway to Asian fashion.

A centerpiece of AFX is Blueprint, a two-day fashion trade show that will draw retail buyers from the U.S. and around the globe. Among the Singaporean designers who will debut collections at the show are Abyzz, Al & Alicia, alldressedup, AWOL by Alfie Leong, Ben Wu, Eugene, Lin, Laichain, Raoul, Yen, and Wykidd.

On the third day, the show will open to the public as Blueprint Emporium, a ticketed event where consumers can view and shop cutting-edge brands, such as Joanna Ho and Roj Singhakul, many of which are not available commercially in Singapore.

Consumers will have another opportunity to immerse themselves in high fashion during the concurrent Audi Fashion Festival.

The Fashion Festival will showcase world-class collections by top international designers and labels, including DSquared2, Roberto Cavalli, Marchesa, and KTZ, with runway appearances by supermodels including Carmen Kass and Song Kyunga. The event will also feature red-carpet parties attended by members of the fashion elite.

Yet another component of Singapore’s fashion week is Star Creation, a fashion design competition spearheaded by Textile & Fashion Federation Singapore (TaFf). Created to identify and develop the best design talent across Asia, the competition will spotlight the creations of aspiring local and regional fashion designers.

Three winners, to be chosen from among twelve finalists, will each receive $10,000 Singapore (about $7,150 USD) in prize money and a one-year internship with leading Asian fashion retailer FJ Benjamin, complete with the opportunity to launch a capsule collection.

Asia Fashion Exchange is a joint effort by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore (SPRING), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and the private sector. For more information, visit www.asiafashionexchange.com.sg.