Mercedes-Benz Canada, and IMG, a global sports, fashion and media company, announced today the launch of Mercedes-Benz Start Up. Produced in conjunction with LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris, Mercedes-Benz Start Up is a new initiative that is intended to provide a national platform to discover and support up-and-coming Canadian designers who have been in business for less than five years. By connecting these gifted individuals with an experienced panel of industry insiders, the program will mentor impressive Canadian talent to help them hone a broad range of skills and elevate their profile through unique and exclusive opportunities. This unprecedented access to experts, combined with invaluable real-world practical experience, will equip participants with a comprehensive roadmap to success and the knowledge and confidence required for a thriving career in fashion.

Following today’s announcement, the Mercedes-Benz Start Up team will begin meeting with  influential fashion media, buyers and educators in key Canadian markets to identify talented and ambitious designers that would qualify as suitable candidates.

All the submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel of industry judges who will follow a list of specific criteria to ensure objectivity and fairness. From this pool of submissions, a total of 20 designers will be selected to advance to the next round: the semi-final competition.

In the first year, the semi-finals will be conducted in two provinces, but it will expand to include four provinces by the second year and beyond. This will ensure that Mercedes-Benz Start Up is truly a national program that is easily accessible to designers across the country.

The semi-finals will yield a total of four designers who will be invited to show their collections at the national final held during the official schedule of LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris in October 2011. This will provide successful participants an invaluable opportunity to prominently showcase their designs on the runway to thousands of prominent industry representatives.

Following the national final, only one of the four semi-finalists will progress to the next stage of the Mercedes-Benz Start Up program.  He or she will be rewarded with access to key industry mentors for a period of five months to help the chosen candidate prepare his or her debut solo show that will be presented as a highlight on the schedule at LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris in March 2012.

“Mercedes-Benz has maintained an unquestionable link between the brand and leading edge design since the company invented the automobile over 125 years ago. In fact, many trendsetting and timeless Mercedes-Benz vehicles have inspired and created entirely new segments in the automotive industry,” said Tim A. Reuss, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. “I am very impressed by the raw potential that exists here in Canada. Considering the ongoing emphasis we place on expressive design, it is only natural for our company to also help foster opportunities in an industry with similar core principles. By supporting emerging designers to broaden their overall scope through Mercedes-Benz Start Up, I am confident that we will be able to further strengthen the Canadian fashion industry and heighten its overall prominence and reputation on the world stage.”

Peter Levy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Fashion said “Mercedes-Benz Start Up will allow Canadian designers the opportunity to move up in the industry and provide them a guide to achievement.” Levy went on to say at the announcement event “The goal is to facilitate a platform for these designers to showcase their talent in a professional setting with access to key mentors from various segments of the industry.”

“LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris has grown into a national platform for designers from across the nation to showcase their talent in the international arena,” said Robin Kay, President of the Fashion Design Council of Canada “We are thrilled to go forward with Mercedes-Benz Canada and IMG to create relationships with young designers countrywide. LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris will provide a world class runway with unparalleled exposure for these designers.”

IMG announced today plans for its first season of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park at a fashion industry briefing supported by The City of New York, Lincoln Center and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The move to Lincoln Center has allowed IMG Fashion to unveil event upgrades such as modernized production capabilities for designers, digital services concurrent with the advanced needs of the 21st Century, better accessibility for attendees through both public and private transportation and great resources/facilities on-site and in the surrounding areas.

The move to Lincoln Center comes after extensive work between City Hall, Lincoln Center, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), IMG and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

“This is a very exciting day for us,” said Peter Levy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Fashion Worldwide.  “The move has allowed IMG to reinvent and improve so many aspects of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as well as develop a stronger link to the surrounding facitilies and spaces available at Lincoln Center and the neighborhood.  This is the first season in what we are confident will be a long ‘run’ at Lincoln Center.”

Said Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Director of Fashion, Lincoln Center, “We are delighted to provide Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with a new home and an extraordinary array of possibilities.   Over the past few years, Lincoln Center has undergone a transformation, resulting in a campus that is aesthetically spectacular as well as extremely accessible.  We look forward to providing the fashion industry with one central location for activities in and around the tents. In addition, we plan to welcome consumers with a dynamic array of opportunities to engage with the art of fashion.”

“The move to Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center is the culmination of a working partnership between the Mayor’s Office, NYCEDC, IMG, Lincoln Center, and the Department of Parks and Recreation,” said Patrick M. Murphy, Director of the Fashion/Retail Team at the Center for Economic Transformation at NYCEDC. “The enhancements to the tents, the ability to stage additional presentations, along with access to major transportation routes, and the connection with the Lincoln Center brand will be a terrific boost for the fashion industry, and will have a positive economic impact for the event and the City.”

“The industry support and innovation being utilized to transform Lincoln Center into the new home of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a testament to New York City’s premier status among the greatest fashion capitals of the world,” said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.  “Our commitment to the event’s success will continue as we officially announce today that Mercedes-Benz is renewing a three year agreement with IMG to remain title sponsor.”

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center, which will be held from September 9 to 16, will implement a number of technical enhancements to adjust with the changing needs of the fashion community. These upgrades include; a gracious lobby to better accommodate designer guests, press and industry professionals; modified runway theaters and modular designer spaces that support advanced production capabilities; expanded lighting and digital design resources; new décor and increased venue/runway sizes and seating enhancements. The event will continue to host three runway venues, and has added a fourth presentation space for designer presentations, industry forums, press conferences and other activities. The venue cost to each designer will remain the same as in previous seasons of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

IMG Fashion will extend ‘the Tents’ original mantra to ‘organize, centralize and modernize’ into the digital realm, launching a new  Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center website and suite of digital services that provide expanded capabilities for designers, press and attendees.  These improvements include a new designer centric website and updated registration and credentialing system synchronized with designer seating. The digitization of the event will further streamline the communication between the different constituencies, providing up to the minute resources for press registration, press contact details for designers, online RSVP and show check-in capabilities.

Lincoln Center allows a unique opportunity in the evolution of the event, offering expanded resources and facilities around campus for the use of designer, press, industry and consumer activities. Inside the Tents, the site will feature increase lounge style seating in the event lobby and an outdoor garden for events and presentations as well as a number of restaurants, cafes and sitting areas around the Lincoln Center campus. Lincoln Center also provides attendees with convenient transportation and access to the event via the MTA’s subway systems, busses, the West Side Highway and light traffic flow on 9th Avenue (Columbus) and 10th Avenue (Amsterdam) making the hectic week of shows as effortless as possible for all attendees.

The City, working with IMG Fashion and Lincoln Center, has embarked on a coordinated effort to ensure Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes place in an efficient and organized manner. Led by the Citywide Event Coordination and Management Office, City agencies – including the Transportation, Police, Fire, Buildings, Parks and Recreation and Sanitation Departments together with the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit, and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)  – are coordinating issues related to pedestrian access, ancillary parking, community resources, traffic flow, and opportunities for local businesses.

Each year, the 232,000 attendees at Fashion Weeks generate new economic activity for New York City businesses, accounting for more than $466 million in direct visitor spending and contributing to $1.6 billion in annual tax revenue to the City’s fashion industry. For the businesses surrounding Lincoln Center specifically – the restaurants, hotels, and retailers – as well as the thousands of caterers, security, and service workers staffing the shows, relocating Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will result in economic benefits. More than $40 million annually is spent on meals at local restaurants; nearly $30 million on taxis, Town Cars, and public transportation; and an additional $56 million at area hotels.

DRESSED is a documentary about once homeless, Laotian-American fashion designer Nary Manivong and the trials and tribulations of “making it” as a fashion designer in America. The documentary, features an up-close and personal portrait of the self taught designer from his early beginnings as a homeless young boy in Ohio to the daily production routines and challenges faced leading up to the presentation of his Spring 2009 collection during New York’s infamous “Fashion Week”.

Click here to view the trailer

Because of limited financial resources, Nary began designing and creating his “look” from vintage clothing, DRESSED announces a Facebook Fan contest called SHOW US YOUR VINTAGE! and the winner receives TWO tickets to Nary’s, September 10th,  4pm-6pm,  fashion show and entry to the sneak peak of the film DRESSED at 9pm that same evening. The contest runs from August 1, 2009 at 12:01am to August 31, 2009, 11:59pm only.

DRESSED Fans are asked to submit a photo of themselves featuring their favorite vintage piece, updated for the Fall ’09 trends with a caption of why they love it and why they are a fan of the film DRESSED! The winner is selected by Nary Manivong and the DRESSED Team.

The film also offers an insider’s look behind-the-scenes of the glamorous, chaotic world of fashion as well as insightful commentary from industry experts such as Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion; Ohio designer Nanette Lepore;  Mickey Boardman of Paper Magazine; Author Mary Gehlhar “Fashion Designer’s Survival Guide”; Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion for Parsons, The New School for Design; Industry Consultant George Furlan; Stylist, Robert Verdi; President of The Fashion Group International, Margaret Hayes; fashion writer Lynn Yaeger and author and Creative Director at Barney’s, Simon Doonan.

DRESSED is directed by award-winner David Swajeski, with executive producer Maryanne Grisz, both of onerock.tv

Global videogame publisher, 505 Games, and global sports, entertainment and media company IMG, today announced a new partnership to develop multiple, multiplatform console and iPhone games based on a concept created by world-famous make up artist Pat McGrath and fashion insider Noël Gordon.  For the first time on the videogame platform, game players and fashion lovers alike will be able to enter the world of high fashion at Fashion Week, with a true insider’s point of view.  Games will feature world-class industry gurus, top models and the star-studded runways of Fashion Week events worldwide. The first titles will be available in 2010 in all major markets around the world.

“The time is right to bring the high fashion world of Fashion Week events to the videogame platform and we’re thrilled to be partnering with IMG to make it happen,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games U.S.  “With today’s videogame technology and IMG’s incredible reach into all facets of the global fashion business, we’ll be providing fashion enthusiasts the opportunity to experience all aspects of the international fashion scene at Fashion Week.”

IMG is responsible for the industry’s most celebrated portfolio of Fashion Week shows and designer fashion events – from New York to Miami and from Moscow to Mumbai.  Along with showcasing world-class designers at invitation-only Fashion Week events, IMG champions the fashion business in many other ways — providing hundreds of hours of Fashion Week programming as well as customized fashion content for worldwide distribution over every type of medium, including the Internet, iPods, PDAs and mobile phones. With offices in New York, London, Paris and Milan, IMG’s modeling arm, IMG Models, expertly manages the careers of the world’s top models and trend-setting celebrities.

“IMG Fashion is thrilled to be working with 505 Games on an interactive fashion video game which incorporates all the elements of our industry, from the glamour of fashion weeks, and runway shows, to the models, designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, the parties and celebrations. By combining IMG Fashion’s experience, expertise and relationships in this space with 505 Games’ abilities, I’m sure we will all soon become video game fashionistas,” said Fern Mallis, Sr. VP IMG Fashion.

DHL, the world’s leading express delivery and logistics company, following two successful years working with IMG Fashion, returns for its third year as sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.  The annual designer fashion event introduces the 2009 fall fashion collections and highlights DHL’s role in delivering the latest fashions to runways and customers across the globe.

Fashion is a $250 billion global industry that moves quickly and relies on time-sensitive shipping and logistics. With its logistics leadership position in Asia, Europe and Central and South America — all markets that are important to the fashion industry — DHL is the premier provider of express services to the fashion industry and has the global resources to provide tailor-made transport solutions that address the latest trends in the fashion world and meet the specific needs of individual customers.

DHL’s regular services cover the entire logistics value chain of the fashion industry – from material purchasing to quality control of production and direct delivery to the boutiques of international fashion companies.  DHL’s commitment to the fashion sector also includes sample room management and consolidation services, and overnight door-to-door service from Asia with five flights to New York City with the latest pickup and the earliest delivery times into the city.

“Our Fashion Week sponsorship allows DHL to demonstrate our commitment to the industry and expertise in helping the fashion industry maximize sales, reduce risk and operate the entire supply chain expertly and efficiently,” said Charles Brewer, Senior Vice President & General Manager Northeast for DHL Express. “Fashion is an extremely time sensitive business, and now more than ever the choice of express delivery and logistics provider plays a vital role in meeting the industry’s success factors of cost efficiency and timeliness. That is why DHL maintains dedicated international shipping specialists at our Manhattan service center to support the fashion industry and offers the earliest delivery times into New York.”

DHL has also worked closely with customers in the fashion industry and other sectors to customize a helicopter service that provides quick transportation to and from Manhattan for international shipments.  After early morning arrival from direct flights to its international gateway at JFK, the helicopter service brings shipments directly to Manhattan in less than 10 minutes, cutting as much as a day off the time in transit for shipments – a feat unmatched by the competition.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York is presented annually in tents at Bryant Park in New York City. The invitation-only event, which runs this year February 13th – 20th, provides designers’ fall fashion collections to the national and international media, and industry insiders.

The New York sponsorship is part of an expanded relationship with DHL as the official express delivery and logistics partner for IMG’s Fashion Weeks around the world announced in 2008.   DHL also sponsors fashion events in Milan, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Miami and Sydney.

IMG Models, a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG today announced that six models from the renowned agency will be featured in the current Swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated (on newsstands today).  IMG Models will lead the roster of beauties with six girls included in the book, more than any other agency and a record for IMG Models.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our line-up of clients in this years Swimsuit Issue,” said Ivan Bart, Senior Vice President of IMG Models.  “IMG has always been proud of our participation in this career making issue and congratulate Daniella Sarahyba, Esti Ginzberg, Hilary Rhoda, Jarah Mariano, Jessica Gomes and Tori Pravers on their inclusion.”

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue – This issue is published annually by SI and features top fashion models wearing designer swimwear in exotic locales. The first issue was published in 1964 and has featured such famous models as Kathy Ireland, Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. The current issue will mark the 45th annual issue of the famous magazine.
Daniella Sarahyba – Brazilian stunner Sarahyba was born into the industry, her mother was a famous model as well. Daniella has been in TV ads for Olympus and print ads for H&M, Gap and Michael Stars. She was recently shot in Rio de Janeiro by Mario Testino for his upcoming shoot.

Esti Ginzberg-Israeli native, Esti has established herself as one of the new “it” girls, having worked with world renown photographers such as Bruce Weber, Blaise and Kenneth Willard and appearing in advertisement campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Burburry, Clarins, among others. As well as a talented singer, she was recently awarded the role as lead actress in the upcoming film, Twelve.

Hilary Rhoda- An All American Girl, Hilary Rhoda is currently the face of Estee Lauder and was recently named one of the highest paid models by Forbes magazine.

Jarah Mariano – American born Mariano’s distinct features can be tribute to her Hawaiian, Korean and Chinese descent. She has been featured in ad campaigns for MAC Cosmetics, Old Navy and A&F as well as in a music video for Jay Z. She will also appear in an upcoming episode of Chuck.

Jessica Gomes – Australian born Gomes is the youngest of four siblings. She has been featured in campaigns for DKNY, Adidas and Old Navy as well as appeared on The Today Show and Project Runway. Her acting career includes not only an appearance in an upcoming episode of Chuck but also is the star of her own Korean TV show titled, My Name is Jessica Gomes.

Tori Praver – Tori Praver, born in California and raised in Hawaii.  Noted for her big break as the face of Guess, she has worked with some of the industry’s most renowned photographers, magazines and recently designed her own swimwear line, Tori Praver Swimwear, which is featured in the current issue.

About IMG Models

IMG Models, a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG, is the world’s number one model management firm with offices in New York, London, Paris and Milan.