Accompanied by major designers, Antonio Banderas launched today the 2017 edition of Miami Fashion Week (MIAFW). The event will present a mix of major Latin American and Spanish beach and resort trends alongside ecological, social and humanitarian projects.

“The runway is the most important. It’s the vertebrate of the designers’ work,” said Banderas, who is the honorary president of the event. Banderas also launched his own fashion line last year. 

Wearing jeans and deep green sweater, the Spanish actor and one of Hollywood’s most important Latin stars added that, “nevertheless, it’s important to connect fashion with altruism.”

MIAFW’s president Julio Iranzo stressed that the organization has also incorporated art and music into the event’s activities.

The fashion week will run until June 4 and include shows from designers such as René Ruiz, Silvia Tcherassi, Custo Barcelona, Físico, Yirko Sivirich, Shantall Lacayo, Ángel Sánchez and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, who will present their Resort 2018 collections at the Ice Palace Film Studios. 

Alongside the fashion shows, MIAFW will also present a series of workshops in conjunction with Miami-Dade College. The classes will include themes related to sustainable development, marine life conservation and the impact of fashion on ecology. 

The Spanish fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada said that the exploration of fashion’s social responsibility is one of the most exciting things about this year’s edition of MIAFW. 

“It’s the combination of two of my passions,” she said, adding that her collection is an ode to happiness. “Fashion and ecology are crucial in my life,” said the designer, who was dressed in an orange sweater bearing her name.

Designer Mario Ruiz said that it’s important for him to contribute to Miami's growth, which welcomed him from Cuba 28 years ago. 

“I feel proud to train new talent in skills that are being lost in the United States, such as cutting and tailoring. The majority of people send things to be made in China. All of my work is made in Miami, it’s my way of showing support,” he said. “Initiatives like this help us to become the city we ought to be.”

Along the same lines, the Venezuelan designer Ángel Sánchez said this his social responsibility begins once the creative process has ended. 

“For me, the most important thing is to be able to help causes I believe in,” he said. “My priority is Acción Solidaria, an organization that helps those with AIDS in Venezuela,” he added, although he confirmed that his organization assists with many other philanthropic activities. 

Sánchez, who in 2016 opened a fashion and architecture studio in the city, said that “Miami is the natural scenery to present the world of beach fashion.”

“I believe I’ll always present my collections here,” he stated.

But, he said that it’s still difficult to convince the buyers from major fashion stores to take interest in what goes on in the so-called “sun capital.”

Banderas recognizes that MIAFW is still taking it’s first steps towards its goal of become a reference point for Latin fashion and beach styles. “We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re on the right path,” he said. 

Also present was the Nicaraguan designer Shantall Lacayo, who believes the event should become an entry point for many Latin American designers onto the international fashion scene.

“My collection, called ‘The Jaguar and the Moon,’ represents Nicaraguan and Central American art,” she said. 

Each night of MIAFW, Banderas will oversee a series of galas with the goal of raising funds for the Miami Children’s Health Foundation. The events are organized by the actor’s own foundation, Fundación Lágrimas y Favores.