[Photo: Top homegrown model Charmaine Harn, the face of the upcoming Audi Fashion Festival, poses with Reinhold Carl, managing director of Audi Sungapore, one of the event sponsors.]

THE show will go on for the Singapore's annual fashion festival, and things promise to be brighter than ever.

Parading from May 6 to 10, the Audi Fashion Festival (AFF) will take the place of the Singapore Tourism Board-driven Singapore Fashion Festival (SFF) and will be the first major privately sponsored fashion festival here.

Organiser Mercury Marketing & Communications will be bringing in some of the fashion world's boldest and brightest names.

Among them is the industry's current darling, British designer Gareth Pugh, who will showcase his fall/winter 2009 women's wear collection on the runway for the first time.

Last September, the STB had announced it would put on hold SFF, which drew 20,000 people over 10 days last year. It was to return next year with a programme overhaul.

The AFF is said to cost about $1 million, 50 per cent less than last year's SFF, and has seen an increased number of product sponsors, said festival director Tjin Lee, who owns Mercury.

This year, the event at The Tent at Ngee Ann City will be projected onto a 5m-wide screen and broadcast to passers-by over the five days.

There will be at least 10 shows in total.

Guests will also be treated to a presentation of Christian Lacroix's spring/summer haute couture collection, which is seldom shown in public outside Paris because of the delicate nature of the clothes.

Ms Lee said it is important to retain Singapore's annual fashion showcase.

'Both we and our sponsors believe firmly in the festival and felt that it was important to continue the momentum after last year's success.'