Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim returned to the pool area of the Raleigh in South Beach on July 15 for its annual swimwear showcase, which wrapped up on Sunday night. Throughout the five-day event, designers showcased their 2010 collections in the hotel pool, which has a wide shallow ledge around its perimeter where the models walked in the water, and in three tents erected in the street beside the pool and on the beach behind it. Sponsors such as Conair and American Express also created mini lounges in the poolside cabanas.
In its fifth year, the event attracted 20 designers (four more than showcased last year), which prompted organizers at IMG Fashion to reduce the time between shows and add extra slots to the schedule Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “The Cabaña Grande [tent] has two hair and makeup [areas] backstage, so we have the ability to prep one show while another one is going on. But in the other two [tents], we just did scheduling a different way by giving [each designer] a minimum of two hours backstage,” said Christina Neault, senior director of fashion and events for IMG Fashion.
Although last year’s shows ran from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the hour, IMG added three 6 p.m. shows and an extra 10 p.m. slot to the schedule to accommodate the extra designers involved. Additionally, Crystal Jin and Tori Praver Swimwear opted for a more intimate showing in the hotel's penthouse suite—offered for the first time this year to accommodate the increase in designers—on Friday and Saturday afternoons. IMG worked with the designers to set up any special production elements like extra lighting or video equipment the night before their show. “[The biggest challenge] has been making sure everyone has the right amount of time backstage and that if they want scenic lighting elements, that we can work that in within the time we have to turnover venues,” Neault said. She added that some designers using the same tent have shared the additional equipment to reduce their production costs.
With the additional shows came more people, nearly 12,000 throughout the week, a 10 percent increase over last year's attendance numbers. However, even though IMG didn’t create additional space on site or add other venues to house the shows—which each ran about an hour late throughout the weekend—the poolside cabanas and lounge area didn’t become overcrowded. “Many of the guests, especially the buyers and press, are going to all or several of the shows, so the additional people may only go to one show at a time, which will have them coming and going [throughout the night],” Neault said.
Among well-known brands such as Tibi and True Religion Swimwear, new brands showcasing this year included Bohéme Boutiques and Mercedes-Benz Presents designer Monica Wise with her line L*Space by Monica Wise.
Top sponsors included American Express, DHL, Lycra and new sponsors Make Up For Ever and Bain de Soleil, which used the week to launch its newest sunscreen spray.
