The summer season is upon us and the countdown has begun for Miami Beach’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. This July, IMG Fashion is pleased to announce its line-up with a record number of designers to showcase their collections for 2011. The Raleigh will once again become the epicenter of the fashion industry from July 15-19, 2010 as supermodels, celebrities, press and buyers come together to celebrate fashion and beauty with the sexiest swimwear designs in the world.

“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is the leading platform globally for designers and swimwear brands to showcase their collections to the world, and we are excited to celebrate our talented roster of designers,” said Christina Neault, Executive Producer of the event. “We believe that the response from the design community represents the strength of swimwear as a growth market around the world and the important role this event plays in the industry.”

The week kicks off with a runway show by Trina Turk and opening party on the 15th, followed by four consecutive days of shows featuring collections from White Sands Australia, Beach Bunny Swimwear, Dolores Cortes, Swell Suits Miami featuring Naila and Park & Ronen, Ed Hardy Swimwear, Crystal Jin, Swimwear Anywhere, Mara Hoffman Swim, Poko Pano, True Religion Swimwear, Aqua di Lara, Red Carter, Cia.Marítima, Luli Fama, Caffé Swimwear, Nicolita, Marysia Swim, Lisa Maree, Aquarella Swimwear, Lisa Blue, Kooey Swimwear Australia and Tyler Rose.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is presented annually at Miami Beach’s historic hotel, The Raleigh. Over the course of five days, 12,000 journalists, buyers and VIPs will be in South Florida to experience the most elite swimwear event in the country. This “by invitation only” event features the top swim designers from the US and abroad showcasing Collections in two runway venues, the Cabaña Grande and the Oasis, as well as The Raleigh’s Historic Pool and Penthouse which will provide spaces for designer cocktails and presentations. All venues can accessed via the event lobby on Collins Avenue at 18th Street.

Mercedes-Benz, the event’s title sponsor, is joined by American Express®, DHL, MAKE UP FOR EVER, TRESemmé, Clarisonic Sonic Skin Care, The Raleigh, Ruffino, Ocean Drive Magazine, California Apparel News Waterwear and Getty Images.

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The ultimate fiesta, hosted by Miami designers Lourdes Hanimian and Augusto Hanimian of Luli Fama, invited guests to celebrate Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim with vibrant balloons, shimmering stars and rhythmic bongo beats to introduce Luli Fama’s 2010 collection, appropriately named “Luli Quiere Rumba” (“Luli wants to party”).  On Sunday, July 19, 2009, with an audience including American fashion model Brooklyn Decker and reality-TV celebrity and designer Ariel Stein, onlookers celebrated the preview of Luli Fama’s fresh approach to swimwear.

Luli Hanimian and brother-in-law Augusto Hanimian unveiled “Luli Quiere Rumba”, a celebration of sexy glamour with a strong variation of looks including 2010’s hottest swim trends ranging from sexy cut-outs to tribal influences, vibrant colors and hypnotic prints. Inspired by Miami’s mix of culture, nature and picturesque scenery, including stunning tones evocative of the seductive blues of the ocean, moody of the purples of the sunset sky and glimmering gold of the night stars, their collection was full of vibrancy and versatility.

Transitioning into summer, with animal, paisley and confetti prints, Luli Fama set the stage for an energetic fashion fiesta. The groups named “Rumba”, “Boom Boom Boom”, “Fiesta en Miami” and “Pasion” exuded excitement with their eclectic mix of magenta, white, lemon, amethyst, blue and garden green hues found on bikinis, monokinis and cover-ups.

Luli Fama offered a range of cover-ups from one-pieces to mini-dress length shirts, offering an effortless transition from a day on the sand to a beachside party. These versatile swim cover-ups are adorned with encrusted crystals in black and jewel tones.  Each embellishment beautifies every garment providing instant glamour to traditional beachwear.

Luli Fama closed the show with “Pasion”, a bandeau monokini with suspenders radiating hard-edge glamour.  The dynamic piece featured kaleidoscopic print bandeau with gold hardware, zebra skin ruch bottoms and confetti suspenders emanating a look of hard-edged glamour. “This fashion show was incredibly meaningful to us.” Lourdes Hanimian continued, “By incorporating live beats and other festive touches, we felt it would bring the collection alive as well as offer a surreal celebratory experience for guests. Our presentation reflected a broad range styles and intricate designs that we adore, and we feel our goal was accomplished!”

Designers Luli Hanimian and brother-in-law Augusto Hanimian spearhead the direction of Luli Fama. An undeniable Latin flair is infused throughout the brand as designers were born in Cuba and Argentina, respectively. Luli Fama adds a feminine yet sultry influence to the swimwear industry, offering a lifestyle collection of colorful and carefully crafted swimsuits and beach accessories designed to meet the demands of globe-trotting trendsetters. Celebrities such as Gisele Bundchen, Bar Rafaeli, Anna Kournikova and Katherine McPhee are fans of the popular brand. Luli Fama retails from   $120 to $150 and can be found at selected retailers, including Diane’s; Everything But Water; Swim N Sport; Gone Bananas in San Diego, CA; Bikini Village in Miami Beach, FL; and Wynn & Encore Resorts in Las Vegas, NV, to name a few.

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Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, produced by IMG Fashion, made its biggest splash ever as it concluded its 5th and largest showing of Resort and Swimwear Runway shows at Miami Beach’s Raleigh Hotel. Press, buyers and celebrities from around the globe previewed, photographed, reviewed and applauded the 2010 Collections.

The week began with Bohéme Boutiques’ poolside presentation and the official kick-off party. Over 12,000 attendees enjoyed the five days of shows from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim newcomers Caffé Swimwear, Marysia Swim, Crystal Jin, Aqua Di Lara, Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer: L*Space by Monica Wise, Tori Praver Swimwear, Mara Hoffman, White Sands Australia, Vitamin A and V Del Sol. Returning designers included Tibi, Red Carter, Cia.Marítima, Xtra Life LYCRA®, Luli Fama, Ed Hardy Swimwear, Poko Pano, True Religion Swimwear and ANK by Mirla Sabino.

This seasons front row regulars from the world’s leading press, media corporations and retailers, were joined by celebrities  Nicole Trunfio (Make Me a Supermodel), Perry Reeves (Entourage), Gilles Marini (Sex and the City), Kelly Killoren Bensimon (Real Housewives of NYC), Adam Greggory (90210), Whitney Port (MTV’s The City), Olivia Palermo (MTV’s The City), Roxy Olin (Brothers & Sisters), Paige Sreenan, Ariel Stein, Anchal Joseph (America’s Next Top Model), Dina Manzo (Real Housewives of NJ), Jason Kennedy (E!), Catt Sadler (E!), Bravo’s Miami Social Cast Members, Jeff Donovan (Burn Notice), Jessica Rivera (Former Miss Latina Central Florida), Brooklyn Decker (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model), Gretta Monahan, Jagged Edge, among others!

“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim has become the industry’s premier platform to showcase Resort & Swimwear collections from around the world,” said Christina Neault, Sr. Director of Fashion & Brands at IMG Fashion. “We are so proud of all of our designers who participated this week with glamorous, sexy and saleable collections. They have made this our largest and most successful event yet.”

“The success of this season’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim provided the perfect backdrop to showcase our newest vehicles,” said Lisa Holladay, Brand Experience Marketing Manager at Mercedes-Benz USA. “The event draws a diverse group of people within the fashion community and beyond and it was great to see them embrace the design and styling of the all new E-Class sedan and coupe”

This season’s Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer, L*Space by Monica Wise, raised awareness for OmniPeace, through a special capsule collection shown as part of her runway show on Friday, July 17. The collection was created by L*Space to benefit OmniPeace, a humanitarian fashion brand. Connecting with the vibrant looks seen on the runway, the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge in the historic Raleigh Hotel was the result of collaboration with Eric Villency, President and CEO of Maurice Villency. The design embraced Art Deco motifs and utilized splashes of rich purples and oranges inspired by the natural light and color palettes of South Beach. During the week, the Star Lounge was the destination for celebrities, VIP’s, press and Mercedes-Benz customer guests. Beyond the Star Lounge and the runways, three of the newest editions in Mercedes-Benz’s own collection were presented, the 2010 E350 Coupe and the E350 Sedan in front of the main tent and on display poolside for the first time in South Florida, the 2010 E63 AMG.

This season Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim also introduced its first interactive application. Now, fashion afficionados who couldn’t be poolside or at the runway can get their front row access to the hottest swimwear  shows directly on their iPhone or iPod touch. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim application is available now for just $0.99 in Apple’s App Store,and features demand video highlights and photographs from each of the designer shows and presentations.

Mercedes-Benz, the event’s title sponsor, was joined by American Express, DHL, LYCRA®, MAKE UP FOR EVER, The Raleigh, Conair, Bain de Soleil®, Continental Airlines Inc., Peroni, Chambord, smartwater, Ocean Drive Magazine, Miami.com, California Apparel News Waterwear and Getty Images.

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