In conjunction with the Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Grand Prix this week in Kuala Lumpur, Stylo International founder and CEO Datuk Nancy Yeoh and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia president and CEO Roland Folger announced that their respective companies will continue to partner for the Asian Fashion Week & Rainforest Fashion Initiative project which will debut later in the year.

Described as the largest and most prestigious fashion trade event, the initiative - which is a business-to-business (B2B) model created by Singapore-based Asian Fashion Inc, who is also a partner headed by Tim Chen - will be held throughout Asia after its Kuala Lumpur debut.

"We're looking for the next big name in Asia," said Yeoh of the purpose for the collaboration. She highlighted that while cities across Asia have their own fashion weeks and talented designers, garnering an opportunity into the international fashion scene is about "networking".

In the press conference today, which was also attended by heads of fashion associations from several Asian countries - Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan - Yeoh said that although Malaysia is spearheading the effort, we need all the other countries to come together in support of one another.

Also in attendance at the press conference was renowned shoe designer Datuk Jimmy Choo, who will also avail of his contacts in the fashion industry to support Asian designers, as well as Malaysian representatives - Malaysian Official Designers' Association president Gillian Hung (MODA), Bumiputera's Designer Association president Bon Zainal and Young Designers Arena representative Baizura Tazri.

Commenting on the Asian Fashion Week initiative, Yeoh said that they will pick a mix of established designers and young emerging designers to showcase their work, which will be held at the end of the year in KL and followed by another staging in the rainforests of Kuching, Sarawak. Thereafter, the unique concept will be implemented in fashion weeks across Asia, held similarly in their respective capital cities and exotic rainforests.