Singapore Fashion Goes Global

Singapore, 7 October 2007 – eBay, the world’s leading online marketplace has teamed up with the Textile and Fashion Federation (Singapore) to give eBay’s 241 million members worldwide a window into Singapore fashion.

Participating in this year’s Singapore Fashion Week (SFW 07) as the Official Online Partner, eBay Singapore has created a microsite where established local designers from the SFW07 The Designers Showcase (TDS) will be featured.

Customers around the world can now log on to www.ebay.com.sg/fashion to access the latest designs from participating designers at the upcoming Singapore Fashion Week (October 12-21).
Homegrown brands – Celia Loe, Nicholas, Burgundy, Yu, Tian, Pure Earth and Funfit, have started their online boutiques on eBay with listings on international sites such as eBay.com and eBay.uk to widen their reach and target a global audience.

This collaboration with TaFf is the latest effort in eBay Singapore’s long track record of forming innovative partnerships to extend the benefits of e-commerce to all industries in Singapore. Working with fashion designers is a natural direction given that fashion is one of the most popular categories on the eBay Singapore platform. Everyday, approximately 250 items of clothing are sold to the world from Singapore.

Sam McDonagh, Director, eBay Southeast Asia, said, “There are extremely talented designers here in Singapore and eBay is uniquely positioned to provide them with a global marketplace where they can showcase their products and sell to millions of potential customers worldwide. From nascent designers who wish to test the market response before starting a brick and mortar store to established designers looking for an additional sales channel to increase their revenue, eBay provides boundless opportunity for practically anyone.”

Besides being able to view the profiles of participating designers and purchase their items at a fixed price, users can also have exclusive access to limited edition pieces and pre-order apparel from Spring/Summer 08 collections in the eBay stores of Tian, Nicholas and Funfit.

“As the secretariat office here, Textile and Fashion Federation (Singapore) (TaFf) takes on the role of developing and promoting the Singapore fashion industry. As the main driving force in the nurturing and grooming of Singapore designers and labels, TaFf is proud to have developed and groomed many young design talents and companies. Their success has helped to expand their businesses regionally as well as internationally. Through the training arm, Textile and Fashion Training Centre (TaFtc) also provides important training, talks and seminars for the industry," said Joanna Fong, Singapore Fashion Week event director and deputy director of TaFf.







Kee Ai Nah, Director Retail, Furniture, Textile & Apparel, SPRING Singapore said, “There is no doubt that Singaporean fashion designers have a wealth of talent. While it is important to generate a stream of fresh designs, it is just as crucial to have adequate sales and distribution channels. eBay's tie-up with TaFf is an excellent way to enlarge the market and the global
standing of our designers. This will be a good stepping stone, especially for up-and-coming designers who want to spread their wings beyond Singapore."

Mr Andrew Phua, Director of Cluster Development, Tourism Shopping & Dining, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “Local designers are increasingly making headway in the international arena and drawing much attention to the Singapore fashion scene which offers some of the latest styles and trends. The collaboration between eBay and TaFf not only enables fashion enthusiasts from around the globe to obtain choice apparel from their favourite Singapore designers, but also enhances Singapore’s position as a regional fashion hub.”

To view the profiles and stores of Singapore designers on eBay, please visit www.ebay.com.sg/fashion

About eBay
Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever-growing online community.

eBay is The World's Online Marketplace®.

For media queries, please contact:

Eunice Lim
eBay Southeast Asia
Tel: (65) 6510 4535
E-mail: eunlim@ebay.com

Krishna Vilasini
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (Singapore)
Tel: (65) 63038467
E-mail: krishnav@waggeneredstrom.com