In late 2014, the sashay will no longer be confined to San Jose. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is Costa Rica’s most prominent event for the haute couture and prêt-à-porter industries, but until recently this extravaganza only took place in the lovable city of San Jose. In recent years, however, the Guanacaste region has been flourishing in terms of fashion design. To this end, Allan Andino of national newspaper La Nacion reports that a casting call is in effect for local designers who wish to exhibit their creations on December 28^th, 2014.

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is accepting fashion proposals for the runway shows and workshops that will take place in Guanacaste later this year. The deadline for submissions is November 4^th, and they should be sent to [email protected] . Designers must include at least five sketches suitable for the upcoming dry season; in other words, they should be casual outfits, swimsuits and beach accessories. The models have already been selected from the agencies Cover Model Management, High Select Models and Independent Model Management of Costa Rica.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star:

Costa Rica is currently the style hub of Central America, and fashion industry leaders would like to see it stay that way. The Costa Rica Fashion Week event is primarily a meeting event for designers, merchants, schools, and students to learn about new trends and methodologies. Despite the country’s ongoing loss of its once-vibrant textile and clothes manufacturing industry to countries where lower salaries and inadequate working conditions run rampant, the fashion industry leaders in Costa Rica believe that this nation has what it takes to participate in the global fashion stage.

Fashion Week in Costa Rica is a project that falls under the leadership of former supermodel Leonora Jimenez of Santa Ana, an achingly beautiful woman who is as stunning as she is entrepreneurial. Ms. Jimenez (pictured in this article) retired from the runways in 2011; as it happens, just when she thought she was out, fashion pulled her back in. As to why the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is moving from the capital of Costa Rica to the upscale Hacienda Pinilla, Ms. Jimenez explained:

“We wanted to make this event more inspirational. The beach is perfect in terms of presenting fashion collections for the summer and to wear during a cruise ship vacation. In fact, the event will take on a nautical, cruise-like theme. The audience will enjoy very attractive fashion designs. I am even working out with a personal trainer because I intend to model tiny bikinis.”