Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim wrapped up Monday following five days of swimwear shows, presentations, and parties in Miami Beach. The sixth annual fashion week returned to the Raleigh with more than 12,000 people attending the 19 shows around the hotel’s pool deck and beach area.
With more than 30 designers applying to show at the event, organizers at IMG Fashion selected 24 and scheduled some into group shows for the first time. “There were so many applications to show this season and only so may time slots, so we grouped them together,” said executive producer Christina Neault. “It works out well for some of the smaller designers because they can share the cost [of production].”
The annual shows are hosted in tents surrounding the hotel’s iconic pool and beach. IMG reduced the number of tents this year, eliminating the less-requested Beachway tent and hosting the 19 shows in the Cabana Grande—the largest space, at 8,000 square feet—and Oasis tents. Additionally, IMG provided two designers—Red Carter and A.Z. Araujo—the opportunity to host their shows off-site at the Bass Museum of Art and Nikki Beach, respectively, while still remaining part of the official schedule.
“Sometimes there are designers that want to be part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week but didn’t have a time slot or wanted to use another venue,” Neault said. “We do this in our other cities and decided to allow it in Miami since it’s a great way to extend the brand through the city.”
The festivities kicked off on Thursday night with Trina Turk's presentation in the Cabana Grande, followed by media sponsor Ocean Drive’s July/August cover party at the Gansevoort South’s rooftop bar, Plunge. Other brands showing throughout the week included Ed Hardy, Crystal Jin, and True Religion.
Many of the previous years’ sponsors returned for 2010, including American Express, DHL, Makeup Forever, Mercedes-Benz, and Miami.com.
