Miami Swim Fashion Week Cruise 2010: ANK by Mirla Sabino

Mirla Sabino traveled to the Caribbean Islands off Panama to find inspiration for her Cruise 2010 collection, shown on the runway on July 17 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. The designer said the famed Mola textiles of the Kuna Indians inspired her prints for the season. She modernized the artwork into color-blocked versions in shades of coral, burgundy, fuchsia, sea blue and green. Ethnic touches were incorporated into braided belts and details and the island’s native butterflies were added to the prints and hardware designs. The look was updated with suspender trims, multicolored stones and gold and silver-plated hardware with clean modern styling. Sabino who uses sensual second skin fabrics focused on body-conscious cuts to flatter the figure. This season the Brazilian designer introduced handcrafted handbags made from straw, leather and recycled rubber. “I’ve been trying every year to use something recycled because I think you need to be concerned about what’s going on in the world,” explained Sabino. —N. Jayne Seward