Once a year, swimwear designers, retailers and industry insiders descend on Miami Beach, Fla., for the business' biggest week in the United States. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim and SwimShow 2010, held concurrently, set the swim scene for the Cruise season and beyond.

California Apparel News Waterwear gives you a front-row seat to the shows, which drew more than 12,000 guests to the city to take in the runway shows, cocktail parties and events.

MBFW Swim, held at the historic Raleigh hotel, featured 20 designers from Brazil, Australia, Canada, Colombia and various cities

across the United States. And a host of other swim brands and designers showed their latest collections at independent events around town.

Here are some of the best looks from the runway. For more runway fashions and backstage videos from the events, see ApparelNews.net.

Photography by Volker Corell, Thomas Kletecka/CollectiveEdit