Fashion forward: while the pushed-up jacket sleeves of Miami vice never quite took hold as a fashion statement, the business of designing clothing is gaining new ground here. Yet another role for Miami as the Latin gateway? - Apparel

South Florida CEO, April, 2003 by Wendy Doscher-Smith

When it comes to all things aesthetic, Miami is no slouch. Here in the land of sea, sand and good looks, five-star sunsets compete with leggy models for tourists' attention. And, in a place where gawking is considered a form of exercise, and personal style is punctuated with a sway of hips, it only makes sense that fashion should follow. Thankfully, it has.

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Last month the five-year-old "Fashion Week of the Americas" strutted into Miami Beach, showcasing the best of Latin American designers. It was accompanied by the "Material World" trade show at the convention center, where industry experts perused materials ranging from raw silk to 3D vinyl. Ten days later Fashion Week sashayed out, leaving behind a mist of glittery powder, sateen scraps and a trail of glossy SoBe club party invites.

Founded and organized by Beth Sobel of Plantation-based Sobel Fashion Productions, Inc., Fashion Week provides a forum offering international exposure for Latin American and Caribbean designers. It was started back in 1996 when Sobel, a former model, organized a fashion event in Ecuador with 21 designers representing 12 countries. She soon saw the need for a Miami-based event.

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"At that time the designers asked me to do something in Miami," Sobel says. "They all wanted to come here and no one knew how."

Two years later Sobel launched the first Miami-based Fashion Week at the Radisson Mart hotel in West Miami, complete with 25 designers representing 14 countries--and 70 media representatives. This year's event, held at the Roney Palace Beach Resort on Collins Avenue, saw 500 international media reps and 25 designers from 19 countries. It included a lingerie/swimwear showcase, pret-a-porter fashions, and Peruvian, Caribbean and evening-wear showcases.

This year's Fashion Week Lifetime Achievement in Fashion Award, dubbed "The High Priestess of Fashion" award, went to Patricia Field, best known for her work costuming the characters on the HBO hit series "Sex and the City." Past winners include such fashion powerhouses as Mary McFadden, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.

Three-time Fashion Week designer/participant, Miami Beach-based Sylma Cabrera, says that the event has grown right along with Miami's ever-evolving fashion landscape. Cabrera says her line--"Pure Soul," a mix of soft fabrics and flowing lines--is modeled after the personalities she sees in Miami.

As for the Miami fashion scene becoming a stronger force, Cabrera notes that Fashion Week is a more important event internationally than locally. A frequent traveler to Paris and Hong Kong, Cabrera has seen Fashion Week specials on television in both cities. She even saw one of her fashion shows featured on a special edition about Miami for Japanese television. This year Cabrera beat two other designers and took home the "Pret-A-Porter Style" award.

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"Fashion is really appropriate for Miami since we have a variety of international cultures here and tourism keeps growing," Cabrera says. "More people now know about Miami and come here for inspiration and locations, and for the colors and vibrancy of the lifestyle."

Those whose job it is to take the pulse of new fashion talent see Miami as a hot prospect. Mary Gehlhar, the fashion division director of New York-based GenArt--a national non-profit dedicated to film, fashion, visual arts and music--says she can't yet compare Miami to New York. But GenArt has fingered South Florida talent as winners of their "Fresh Faces in Fashion" yearly showcase, including Miami-based designer Julian Chang. "Miami does have a burgeoning fashion scene," Gehlhar says.

A substantial swath of the scene belongs to Miami-based Perry Ellis International, led by chairman and CEO George Feldenkreis. Feldenkreis moved to Miami in the 1960s and founded Supreme International, a company that became known for making school uniforms and guayaberas. In 1993 Supreme acquired the Perry Ellis line, and went public under the name Perry Ellis International.

Since then Feldenkreis has expanded at an accelerated pace. Today Ellis owns or licenses brands that include sportswear lines Jantzen, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, John Henry and Andrew Fezza. In the final quarter of 2002, the company earned $2.8 million on revenues of $86.6 million. "In the 10 years that I've resided here I've seen tremendous growth from a fashion standpoint," says Lori Medici, Perry Ellis International vice president of marketing and communications.

Some signs of Miami being an up-and-coming fashion Mecca are more subtle than the growth of Perry Ellis. Stories about local 18-year-old fashion-design sensation Esteban Cortazar have appeared in publications ranging from Latina and People to The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times. Fashion design school Miami International University of Art & Design just moved into new digs on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami's Omni building, taking 100,000 square feet. Fashion Week itself is now listed in New York-fashion maven Ruth Finley's "Fashion Calendar," an industry bible of sorts.