Miami Fashion Week Honors Carlos Miele

by The Daily Front Row

(MIAMI) Miami Fashion Week celebrates its 15th anniversary this year by honoring Carlos Miele with the International Designer of the Year award tonight. With a fan club that includes Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, and Rihanna, how could they be wrong? Suzy Menkes once dubbed him the “master of the delicate craft and intricate detail,” and tonight he’s finally showing his eagerly anticipated Fall collection at the Miami Convention Center after sitting out NYFW.  The Daily got the scoop on his new collection and why he decided to show in Miami. Hint: It’s a a pretty obvious answer!

Walk us through the new collection…
In my Fall/Winter 2013 collection, “Walking the Line,” I seek a creative convergence of cut and design balancing graphic patterns as in the giupere lace of a cocktail dress, the stripes of a mousseline blouse, the zig-zags in a tweed tuxedo coat, with curvilinear silhouettes and cuts that follow the natural form of the body. I think the clothing is young and more urban, but always luxurious. There are definitely signatures in the lineup, but there are also many fresh ideas.

Was it strange to sit out NYFW last month? 
New York is where I have been presenting my collections for the past ten years, so it was perhaps a bit strange not to show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this season. The world really watches the runways of New York. It’s the most multicultural city in the world and the city I love the most, but I am thrilled to be showing at Miami Fashion Week and sharing my work with a whole new set of eyes. I design for a sophisticated woman who can be in Miami, Paris, New York, Hong Kong – women who love dressing up in sexy silhouettes and color. I do look forward to returning to New York in September.

Why Miami?
I decided to show there when I was invited to receive the award. I loved the idea! It’s also an epicenter for Latin culture and a significant city for contemporary art and design, hosting Art Basel and inspiring numerous fashion designers. The atmosphere and lifestyle of Miami is comparable to that in Brazil.

Have you been to their fashion week before?
It’s my first time! I’m looking forward to it.

Congrats on the award!
I am quite honored. Brazilian designers are beginning to get recognition for their contributions to high fashion design. In the past, we were often simply thought of as creators of beachwear. When I started designing, I would never have imagined receiving international recognition. It gives me pleasure to bring Brazil’s rich culture and my Brazilian roots to the runways of New York, and now Miami, and I hope this award brings attention and inspires other talented emerging fashion designers.

Where will you keep it?
At home and share it with my 4-year-old son. He’s very excited to see it.

What have been the highlights of your career so far?
One highlight would be my partnership with Hani Rashid on designing my pioneering boutique in the Meatpacking District. The space represented New York at the International Biennial of Architecture and Design and received many awards, including two as “the store of the year.” Before a fashion designer, I started my career as an artist and I had the opportunity to present a multidisciplinary performance at the Kennedy Center (mixing video-installation with dance), and my inclusion in a collective exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum. In Brazil, I have had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Fortaleza. I’m also thrilled for having the chance to meet and dress my favorite celebrities, including Florence Welch who has chosen my designs for many performances!

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