I

t’s time to impress, and get impressed.

The Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) in Singapore was the perfect time to pose before the camera and pay attention to the emerging fashion market in Asia.

The third annual event, held from May 11 to 22, tells the world that Asian countries also have a say in the fashion industry.

Comprising the Audi Fashion Festival, the search for new talent at Star Creation, a fashion tradeshow at Blueprint and conference of fashion topics at the Asia Fashion Summit, the AFX brought together local and international designers to the same stage.

The designers presented their latest creation at the Audi Fashion Festival.

Autumn-Winter collections from big names such as Italian fashion icon Missoni, Antonio Berardi and Emanuel Ungaro were among the highlights.

Be it a blistering afternoon or a windy evening, the big white tent venue, which was located in Singapore’s shopping heaven Orchard Road, was packed with fashion enthusiasts, who waited for many late-starting shows.

During the Star Creation fashion show, hundreds of youngsters swarmed the room after the MC announced the show was about to begin. The show was a parade of fresh ideas from young designers in Asian countries who made the cut into four winners and eight finalists of Star Creation 2011.

The winners of last year’s competition also launched their capsule collections, presenting what they had learned from a year’s internship with fashion retailer FJ Benjamin.

Indonesian fashionistas might have found their hearts beating faster when Anindya Intan’s name lit up the backdrop as three models wearing her outfits walked the runway. The Nanyang Academy of Fine Art student was the first-ever Indonesian to become a finalist in the competition.

Using silk, wool and cotton, irregular small pleats accented a yellow mini skirt of knotted fabrics, combining natural and bright colors without losing tone. The outfits matched wedge boat shoes, and boots and socks, emulating the scout look.

The 21-year-old joined a scout jamboree in Thailand and South Korea in her high school years.

“I see some similarities between the principals of scouts and Asia. Like scouts, Asia should be confident, brave and independent,” she said, adding Asian people should return to their own cultures the way scouts return to nature.

David Wang, one of the judges, praised the idea, saying that he previously never thought that the boring brown scout uniform could be inspiring.

“She had a very different way of presenting her idea. I like the color pallet. She is also challenging how to make fabric look different,” he said of Anindya.

The Star Creation show closed with a stunning collection from Kit Miao, a Chinese winner from last year’s competition. Her white outfits were clean cut, underlining simplicity and were very wearable.

One of her fresh designs was a high waist knee-length dress with inverted pleats, raglan cap sleeves and a V-neck collar.

The rise of the Asian fashion industry was apparent during the Blueprint trade show.

The leg event featured cruise collections from more than 100 emerging designers from Singapore and various big cities such as Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Seoul, Paris, New York and Tokyo.

Different jewelry, accessories, shoes, outfits and bags were also on offer at the event.

Indonesian ready-to-wear independent labels, such as Danjyo Hiyoji, Kle, Isis and No’om, joined the trade show for the first time. They showcased some of their collections during a fashion show in the Blueprint area in Marina Bay Sands. Excitement mixed with a little bit of anxiety showed on their faces as they mingled with buyers and visitors.

“I try to secure our production line and suppliers, which is an important step in this industry,” Kleting, the designer of Kle, said.

Two of her designs stole the attention at the fashion show. One was a long dress that hung loose from the shoulder to just above the ankles and the other was a sleeveless handkerchief dress that also hung loose from shoulder to the calves. Freedom and confidence were the statement her outfits were making.

Dana Maulana, one of three designers in Danjyo Hiyoji, said he was confident with their production line, but was concerned on the prices ranges applied to the wholesale products.

“We are very new [in this retail industry],” he said, adding that he hoped to gain new knowledge on the pricing strategy at the event.

Danjyo Hiyoji presented women and men’s wear that had a strong urban look with black, white, gray and creamy colors.

Buyers are also as busy as the designers.

Mathew Ong, an owner of a ladies shop on Orchard Road, was excited to look for interesting items at the venue. He would stop to take a closer look at displayed items on a stall before moving to another.

“I think every stall presents very unique collections,” he said when asked which stalls offered the best items.

Some stalls gathered more visitors than others. The Seba shoes stall, which was built by designer Sebastian Reza, was crowded with visitors on day one of the Blueprint opening.

Another catchy stall was Seventy Eight Percent, which offered simple old school and elegant leather bag designs.

The stall of the Hong Kong-based company was never quiet.

Owner and designer Shai Levy told buyers who dropped by his stall that he did not set rules for the number of items they could purchase.

“You can try one or two bags and see whether they sell well in your stores. Usually they do,” he confidently told two female buyers.

The event is probably over, but for fashion enthusiasts, buyers and designers – the promising fashion market and talent in Asian countries are truly impressive and irresistible.