Local footwear designers Singapore and budding entrepreneurs can now produce prototypes and even upgrade their skills in Singapore's first footwear design and education center. Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck opened the S$1 million Bronx Creative & Design Centre (BDC) on Tuesday of July 16^th, 2013. Located in Natural Cool Lifestyle Hub at Tai Seng Avenue, the facility is set up by home-grown firm Bronx. It will provide footwear consultancy services and industry-training opportunities for start-ups. There is also an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) hub to support the design and prototyping of footwear. The center is partnering Raffles Design Institute to offer courses. It also has tie-ups with local brands Charles & Keith and 77th Street as well as manufacturers and footwear associations in the region. Mr.Chanin Jitkomut, the president of Thai Footwear Association from Thailand shared his idea which is the same to Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck that he is very happy to join at the official opening of Bronx Creative & Design Centre. This is Singapore’s first footwear design, prototyping and education center, and also the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Although most of the apparel and footwear manufacturing activity has moved out of Singapore to lower-cost countries, the Fashion industry remains an economic contributor as fashion manufacturers, distributors, retailers and brand-owners, carry out business management and other knowledge-intensive headquarter activities here. More importantly, a vibrant local fashion scene supports Singapore’s tourism growth and provides a nurturing environment for aspiring designers and entrepreneurs to thrive. Design and innovation will continue to be important ingredients for success in the fashion industry. Brands and products will be differentiated by their brand promise, in-store experiences, online offerings and value proposition. Over the years, especially in Thailand, we have seen Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) moving up the value chain to provide design-led services as Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs). Some have successfully transformed into brand-owners. Such transformations are keys to helping companies stay competitive in today’s challenging global fashion landscape. The Bronx Creative & Design Centre will thus be a positive step for the industry. BDC is the first-of-its-kind in Singapore, capable of supporting the design and prototyping of different kinds of footwear under one roof. Designers, manufacturers and brand-owners can benefit from its commercialization-enabling services and resources, prototyping, sample-making and even small-run manufacturing. Independent young designers and entrepreneurs, who used to have limited access to such resources due to lack of scale, will now find the odds evened. Strong infrastructure is required to ensure a sustainable fashion eco-system. Back-end support is critical where quick turnaround is required, whether this is to launch new collections or meet small contract orders. This footwear service Centre in Singapore gives an opportunity to many Thai designers direct oversight of the production process so as to ensure that their designs are properly interpreted as good quality prototypes before they go into production. BDC, therefore, plugs an industry gap and is an important initiative in all ASEAN fashion industry’s developmental blueprint; supporting local designers and brand-owners with R&D and knowledge management services to shorten time-to-market. The center gives ASEAN-based fashion companies direct access to training in footwear prototyping and design. Internship and student-exchange opportunities can be explored with the footwear associations of all ASEAN-neighboring countries. Such ‘win-win’ partnerships will benefit the industry through fostering commercial collaborations.