LAFS 2022 Lands in the Miami Design District

Istituto Marangoni Miami (IMM) is thrilled to announce a significant partnership with The Latin American Fashion Summit as an official sponsor. This collaboration is a testament to our shared commitment to developing the most important fashion platform in Latin America and sharing the region’s greatness with the rest of the world, thereby making a profound impact on the Latin American fashion industry.

The Latin American Fashion Summit is a multiplatform created by entrepreneurs Estefanía Lacayo and Samantha Tams to elevate and enrich the Latin American fashion and design industry, aiming to make it more relevant than ever. After a two-year COVID-19 hiatus, the summit relaunched stronger than ever in the Vibrant Miami Design District in Miami from March 14th to 16th, where a series of talks, workshops, and industry networking events took place. A main highlight of the summit included Pitch to LAFS, for which Istituto Marangoni Miami President and Industry Entrepreneur Hakan Baykam was a Judge. Pitch to LAFS is an annual contest searching for the next big Latin American emerging talents. Five finalists per category presented their brands to a jury of twenty fashion eminences. During the process, participants received an in-depth consultation from Istituto Marangoni’s mentors on their proposal.

Istituto Marangoni Miami Dean of Fashion, Massimo Casagrande, kicked off the 3-day event with a stimulating talk, Rethinking Reality: Fashion’s New Frontier, at the Jungle Plaza, where he gave an overview of the new developments and realities that we are facing in fashion and what new trends will be emerging from both a business and creative perspective. As an official LAFS mentor, Massimo and IMMiami professor Nathalie Tessier provided mentorship to participants and will continue to guide winners over the coming years. During the closing day of LAFS, the summit used the school’s facilities to host over 20 exclusive workshops ranging from Branding, Fashion in the Metaverse, Fashion PR, Sustainable Fashion & Visual Merchandising.

The summit came to a close with the announcement of the Pitch to LAF winners, who secured a major prize including 10,000 USD, an interview for the LAFS Podcast, one-year support from LAFS, a general admission ticket to next year’s summit and a personalized course at Istituto Marangoni Miami. This year’s winning brands included Annaiss Yucra (Positive Impact), Susana Vega (Accessories and Handbag), and Port De Bras (The Ready to Wear). Port de Bras founder Clarissa Egaña said, “Working with IMMiami professor and LAFS mentor Natalie Tessier was enriching and a true pleasure. She acted as a mentor and friend to me and the brand. She helped us with structure and a more academic approach to the pitch, but she also took the time to reach out to her personal contacts to build a broader network for Port de Bras. I look forward to more experiences with Marangoni‘s exceptional team! We are truly grateful!”

Istituto Marangoni Miami is proud to be a LAFS sponsor, helping to support such a powerful community and a multifaceted digital platform that showcases emerging and established Latin American talent to the world and can’t wait to see the talent they will bring in next year.