THE Singapore Fashion Festival is set to continue on its tradition as a launchpad for new designers, and an extension of the global runway showcasing the newest collections hot off the fashion shows in Milan, Paris and New York.

Among the headliners this year will be renowned New York designer Vivienne Tam, who'll be here to present her Fall/Winter '07 collection which just finished its catwalk run at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at New York City. UK designer Matthew Williamson also makes his Asian debut here, as the finale for the fashion fest on April 1. The St Martin's graduate took over as creative director of Emilio Pucci, an LVMH-owned company, last year.

Among the other firsts include French label Aigner showing its latest Fall/Winter creations, French haute couture designer Jean Luc Amsler presenting a collection under the pen brand Waterman's banner, and a group of luxury menswear brands appearing en masse on the festival catwalk.

But perhaps what has established the Fashion Festival's reputation on the global circuit is that it showcases designers from the region. From India, for instance, Anshu and Jason from Bangalore, Savio Jon from Goa, and Priyardarshini Rao form the handful of Indian designers presenting their latest collections, straight from Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai this year.

'Singapore's a place where I can launch my collections,' declares Shanghai designer Lu Kun, who had first participated two years ago. This time, he's debuting his couture and the new ready-to-wear collection. 'I'm going to show my Fall/Winter collection - which hasn't even been shown in Shanghai yet. It'll be unveiled first in Singapore,' he says.

Expect to see inspiration from film noir in the ready-to-wear. 'A lot of blacks and whites, with inspiration from old movies and film stars like Greta Garbo,' says the 26-year-old. 'It's about the Shanghai lifestyle.'

Unveiling this collection at Singapore could well be Lu Kun's first step in taking his ready-to-wear designs global. 'I have a business plan which my manager is helping me with, and investors. In order to hit the international market, there must be a strong business sense behind the brand.' He estimates that he'll need US$5 million, in fact, to catapult his ready-to-wear to the runways of Paris and Milan.

His view is that Singapore is very similar to Shanghai, with its people who have an eye for good quality products and a taste for lifestyle, so he sees Singapore as a potential market for his ready-to-wear designs.

'People are waiting to see an iconic designer come from China,' he says, leaving no doubt that he aims to be that designer. Just as the Singapore Fashion Festival aims to be the festival to first spot an upcoming Asian designer and get him or her noticed - and, in turn, the festival itself - on the global fashion scene.

The Singapore Fashion Festival 2007 is presented by MasterCard and made possible by the Singapore Tourism Board. It runs from Mar 24 to Apr 1, at the Tent at Ngee Ann City. For more information, please look up www.singaporefashionfestival.com.sg.