For the first time, American designers parade at Gran Canaria Swim Week
CFDA members Alejandra Alonso Rojas and Cynthia Rowley present their new collections at GCSW24
This agreement is part of the internationalization plan developed in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria
Minerva Alonso: “The common objectives involve different actions to raise the visibility of the island and GCSW24 in the US market, as well as the inclusion of our catwalk in the international calendar”
Elizabeth Ritger (CFDA): “Thanks to this agreement, we can give our designers exposure to more markets around the world and in this wonderful location they can relaunch their competitiveness. We also believe that Gran Canaria is a more than reliable partner.”
Today we are strengthening our alliance with this important international organisation, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a relevant international organisation, with the aim of making Gran Canaria the European island of exchange between swimwear from our continent and the American one”. This is the reflection of Minerva Alonso, Economic Development Councillor of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, after the meeting held this Thursday within the framework of Gran Canaria Swim Week 2024 with the representatives of the CFDA, an institution recognised worldwide for its leadership in the US fashion industry. “This agreement includes the participation of two firms and the attendance of American journalists at GCSW. The common objectives imply different actions to make the island and GCSW24 visible in the US market, in addition to the inclusion of our catwalk in the international calendar”, she added.
Elizabeth Ritger, Head of Development at CFDA, explained that “thanks to this agreement, we can give our designers exposure to reach more markets around the world and in this wonderful location they can relaunch their competitiveness. We also believe that Gran Canaria is a more than reliable partner.”
This edition of Gran Canaria Swim Week kicked off on Wednesday with an outdoor fashion show in the Pasito Blanco area and will continue until Saturday at Expomeloneras. The designers who are members of the CFDA, Alejandra Alonso Rojas and Cynthia Rowley, will be parading on the Gran Canaria catwalk, as well as the well-known brand Guess. Journalists from two prestigious US media outlets have also travelled to the island: Fashionista and CR Fashion Book, who will cover the event and promote it on the American continent.
The relationship between Gran Canaria Moda Cálida, a programme of action in the textile sector, created and promoted by the Cabildo, and this American entity, began at the first summit of the European Fashion Alliance held on the island in 2022 and whose objective is to promote a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive ecosystem in the fashion industry. After that first meeting, they visited the catwalk in 2023 to learn about its operation, its international projection and, of course, the benefits of the island. In this edition, the will to work together to promote swimwear from both regions and explore new avenues of collaboration is materialized.
This mutual promotion agreement is part of the island government's internationalization plan developed in coordination with the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce. The Council of Fashion Designers of America has around 420 fashion designers from the American industry, is the organizing entity of the official New York Fashion Week program and has become the main strategist and advocate for the American fashion industry. The CFDA has privileged access to a wide range of emerging and established designers and has an extensive network of contacts and relationships in the industry at an international level, from which Gran Canaria can now benefit. Through its previous events and collaborations, it has established links with renowned designers, influencers and prestigious fashion editors. This extensive network is essential to increase the visibility and attraction of Gran Canaria Swim Week.
Gran Canaria Warm Fashion
Gran Canaria Moda Cálida is an action program in the fashion textile sector on the island created by the Department of Industry, Commerce and Crafts of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria. For this institution, Fashion is a growing sector with possibilities for industrial expansion and Gran Canaria represents the framework in which designers and companies support their projects.
