South Florida-based DHL, the world’s leading express delivery and logistics company, returns for a second year as sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, held in Miami Beach at The Raleigh Hotel, July 18 through July 21. The annual designer swimwear event introduces the 2009 collections and highlights DHL’s role in delivering the latest fashions to runways and customers across the globe.

As a major international presence in South Florida’s business community, DHL provides its supply chain expertise to world-renowned designers, including many recognized brands with roots or an expanding customer base in Latin America. In fact, DHL is the primary supply chain partner for many of the designers participating in this season’s shows, including Tibi, which will debut a swimwear collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, and ViX Swimwear, among others.

“Miami is one of the fashion-forward regions for industry insiders and the gateway to the Americas. The city has its own unique trend-setting fashion style – heavily influenced by the creative designs and unique energy of Latin America,” said Michele Nadeem, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs, DHL Express USA. “DHL helps make the entire fashion process happen as we deliver each and every item used to make garments which can feature components sourced from all over the world. DHL’s role in the process includes transporting everything from fabric samples to designs with the final product ending up in showrooms and on the runways.”

Globally, as the Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider of IMG’s Fashion Weeks, DHL delivers Fashion Week events to four continents. In the U.S., DHL is the sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.

With its logistics leadership position in Asia, Europe and Central and South America, DHL has the global resources to serve markets vital to the fashion industry. DHL provides services such as sample room management and consolidation services. DHL’s Import Express service allows fashion clients to navigate customs and government shipping regulations while ensuring critical deliveries arrive on time. With Import Express, shipments are handled by DHL from pickup outside the U.S. to delivery in the U.S., with all tracking, invoicing and single-currency payment through DHL.

DHL’s commitment to the fashion sector includes overnight door-to-door service from Asia with five flights to New York City. DHL features daily dedicated flights to and from Miami and Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela and Costa Rica. Also, DHL arranges for additional cargo capacity for customers on an additional 20 to 25 daily commercial flights into Miami.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is presented annually in Miami Beach at The Raleigh Hotel. Coinciding with the swimwear industry’s largest trade show, the invitation-only, runway-platform extravaganza provides designers’ swimwear and resort collections exposure to national and international media, style setters and fashionistas. South Beach becomes the host for fashion, beauty, supermodels and celebrities to coalesce to celebrate the sexiest swimwear designs in the world.

About DHL

DHL is the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, specializing in providing innovative and customized solutions from a single source.

DHL offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport, contract logistic solutions as well as international mail services, combined with worldwide coverage and an in-depth understanding of local markets. DHL’s international network links more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. Some 300,000 employees, including more than 40,000 employees in the U.S., are dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers' expectations.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969, DHL is a Deutsche Post World Net brand. The group generated revenues of more than 63 billion euros (more than $93 billion) in 2007.