Thailand on the fashion map

Thailand has invested £24 million in the fashion industry in a bid to feature on the fashion map. Hosting Bangkok Fashion Week, which startes on Wednesday, the country is hoping to compete with other high profile fashion events in the Far East including Hong Kong , Singapore , Kuala Lumpur and Sydney .

The event will provide a platform for 30 of Thailand 's best designers and organisers are hoping to attract a large international audience, including buyers, press and leading designers like Karl Lagerfeld. Young designers from Thailand 's 29 fashion schools will also be able to showcase their work in a series of fashion shows. Furthermore, New York 's Fashion Institute of Technology is helping to set up a new fashion school, and a fashion library is to be opened as well.

"The purpose is to plant seeds for the future," said the president of the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association, Tienchai Mahasiri. "We are building people, the facilities and the atmosphere for Thailand to become a fashion hub." The second fashion week has already been planned for March 2006.