Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami Swim Makes a Splash with Designer Red Carter and Red Hot Convertibles for Summer

Miami's own selected as Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer

MIAMI, July 17 -- Fashionistas, get ready -- Mercedes-Benz is returning to Miami to heat up summer with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. July 17th to July 21st, the historic Raleigh Hotel will host 15 of the hottest swimwear designers including Red Carter, Poko Pano, Hotel Bondi Swimwear, Syla by Sylvie Cachay, Ed Hardy Swimwear, TIBI, Pistol Panties and Custo Barcelona.

Mercedes-Benz has tapped Miami favorite Red Carter as this year's Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer for Swim 2009. The Red Carter line launched in 2004, soon after the designer moved Miami and became inspired by the ever-present energy and bold, Art Deco style. The Red Carter collection incorporates fit, form and function, combining subtle details, bold prints, and advanced technical constructions often neglected by swimwear designers. The 2009 Collection will debut July 19 at 10:00 PM at Cabana Grande at The Raleigh Hotel.

Beyond the runway, the place to see and be seen at the Raleigh Hotel is the invite-only Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge, where celebrities, tastemakers and top editors relax between shows. The lounge will host a series of chic-invite only events celebrating the best the week has to offer. Festivities continue poolside where Mercedes-Benz invites guests to enjoy a beauty retreat in the private cabanas along the iconic Raleigh pool.

What better way to soak in Miami and do it in style than driving a new Mercedes-Benz? Take a ride in the SLK, SLR Roadster, C63 AMG or the restyled SL Roadster for 2009, all of which will be on display around the Raleigh Hotel. Mercedes-Benz's well-built machines boast outstanding strength, quality and class and have been consistently recognized as style icons. For a city that loves to drop the top and cruise around South Beach, Mercedes-Benz will also display its all new SL63 AMG roadster with a hand-built AMG 6.3-liter V-8 engine that produces 518 horsepower. There is no better time to drop the top and truly enjoy the ride.

Online, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Newsgroup continues to house press information and complimentary, high-resolution photography from all three Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week venues in the United States (including New York, Los Angeles at Smashbox Studios, and Miami/Swim). During the Swim Collections the Newsgroup will update regularly, offering photography from both the runway and throughout the tents shot by the incomparable Dan Lecca photographers. Once the shows have concluded, images from each season will remain available at the Newsgroup's archive.

For more information about Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim and for a schedule of shows, events, and complimentary photography, accredited journalists may visit and register at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Newsgroup located at www.newsgroup.mbusa.com .

ABOUT MERCEDES-BENZ

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. Beginning in 2007, Mercedes-Benz USA became the title sponsor of IMG's New York, Los Angeles and Miami Fashion Weeks, signifying the first time all three properties have been united under a single sponsor. Mercedes-Benz is also engaged in international markets in Fashion Week title sponsorships with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin as the most recent example. In 2007, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 253,433 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 14 consecutive years of sales growth.

ABOUT RED CARTER

Since launching his eponymous collection in 2004, swimwear designer Red Carter has brought a sense of whimsy to the swimwear market. 2008 marks the first collection of ready-to-wear by Red Carter, which joins the Red Carter, Red Carter Men and Sandy Bottoms lines. Red Carter delivers two seasonal collections per year, sold domestically at better department and specialty stores including Barneys New York, Bloomingdales, Everything But Water, Intermix, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Victoria's Secret. Internationally, Red Carter is distributed in both Europe and South America.