At ModelDash, we love movers and shakers in the industry who are brining ,innovative thinking to the scene. There is no better example of paving the way in the fashion industry than what we have right here. We have sat down, figuratively speaking, for an exclusive interview with Micheal Lee, the CEO and founder of the newest nationwide fashion week, BikiniWeek.
For those of you who don’t know, BikiniWeek is the World’s First Fashion Week for Swimwear Designers. It has been coined “The World’s Sexiest Fashion Week,” and we are not protesting. Hundreds of models in the best bikinis of the season, dozens of photographers and exclusive events and fashion shows all over the nation. We just have one question, how do we sign up?
For all of those wondering the same thing, let’s dive right into the world of BikiniWeek and find out.
MD: So, for those who’ve never heard of Bikini Week, can you give us
your “in a nutshell” rundown?
Bikini Week is a 5 day Bikini Fashion Showcase here in San Diego. We display some of the country’s hottest emerging bikini designers, model talent, photographers in the best downtown venues, ie. Andaz Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Se Hotel, Fluxx Nightclub and Stingaree Nightclub
MD: Where did your inspiration to start a “bikini fashion week” come from?
My inspiration to create BW came from doing hundreds of fashion styling events with my other business A Style Concierge. I was asked to produce a bikini fashion show with a local modeling agency and a bikini designer from Orange County. I just expanded the single show to 5 days of bikini fashion shows. It was a crazy time-line from concept to implementation in only 12 weeks.
MD: Tell us a little about yourself, besides B W, do you have any
other ventures?
I do so many things. As I mentioned, I have another business called A Style Concierge. Our core business is providing full salon services in downtown San Diego, but we also do a tremendous amount of collaborations with fashion designers, models, photographers, venues, promoters, and media. ASC has styled for celebrities, musical performers, comedians, LA Fashion Week and international design brands. We are the preeminent provider of Hair-Fashion-Lifestyle services and San Diego’s Style & Fashion Headquarters. Along with running ASC, I have other ventures in the entertainment and lifestyle industries. I’m a crazy idea kinda guy that can’t stop looking for creative and innovative ways to make something better than it already is.
MD: How did you get your start in this industry?
This may be hard to believe but I used to be in the Telecom industry and even worked as a cable guy for 12 years. It was back in 2005 that I decided to change my life around and pursue a career in a world that would allow me to thrive and find ultimate fulfillment. In 2007 I finished cosmetology school and received my license to do hair. In 2008 I finally quit the Telecom industry and faithfully put my new passion into play. Also in 2008, I partnered with a fellow hair stylist Jeremy Harris to form ASC. We’ve been running full speed ever since. It probably wasn’t the wisest decision to try and start a business in the worst economy we’d ever see, but we were both full of enthusiasm and determination to make it work. And so far….so good.
MD: This is your 3rd annual Bikini Week, how does this year compare to
the past?
EXPERIENCE!!! Looking back to 2009 it seems ludicrous to think we could have pulled it off. Now with 2 years under our belt we’re able to refine some of our processes and put a team of equally driven, passionate people together to make it the best year ever. First off we added a 6 city tour to our schedule. We’ve taken bikini designers around the country for the world’s sexiest fashion tour, BIKINI WEEK 2011 TOUR. This has been a great opportunity for BW to see how the rest of the country responds to bikini fashion shows. We have visited Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Lake Havasu, Las Vegas, South Padre Island, and finally Miami. It’s been an amazing experience and we’ve impressed a lot of crowds along the way.
MD: This year B W embarked on a national tour, what were your favorite
cities and why?
All of the cities on the tour were amazing. Personally I have never been to Palm Springs, Lake Havasu, or Miami so the tour has been a great opportunity to visit some of the best Spring destinations in the country. I’d have to say that Palm Springs stands out amongs the others for a few reasons. One, the palm desert is absolutely gorgeous. Two, we performed our Bikini Week 2011 Tour during the Dinah Shore Weekend which is a huge lesbian festival that takes over Palm Springs. We partnered with Girl Bar Productions and put on 2 fashion shows in front of thousands of party-ready lesbians. The lineup of talent was awesome, with Wynter Gordon (created the song “Dirty Talk”) and Estelle (created the song “American Boy”). I really do look forward to returning to Palm Springs in 2012.
MD: Can you let us in on some highlights of this year’s BW Tour?
Well here’s a little peak at 2011 May 18th – 22nd. We are looking to put 650 bikini wearing models on 5th Ave for our second attempt for the World Record Bikini Parade. We have to get 650 ladies to wear a 2-piece bikini and walk a 1 mile course. Last year we had about 200 ladies participate and it was the coolest thing to ever happen in San Diego and maybe even California. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and our website (www.bikiniweeksd.com) to see how you can help us get the record and take part in Bikini Week fashion events.
MD: If one has never attended a Bikini Week event, what can they expect?
Let me help explain this by saying what ‘not’ to expect. We are not a pageant contest or a best bikini body contest or a wet t-shirt contest. We are a complete FASHION EVENT PRODUCTION. Bikini Week is for the consumers and for the followers of sexy fashion events. It’s extremely important for me to maintain a sense of class and sophistication with BW. We choose to partner with local and regional models, photographers, videographers, and media that have the same excitement towards the evolution of the fashion industry. But we don’t leave out the sexiness!! It simply goes hand in hand when you combine beautiful models with amazing bikini designs. We are focused on bringing more fashion to the mass crowds. This is a unique approach compared to most fashion weeks which only allow crowds that are involved with the fashion trade and industry.
MD: What is this we hear about the largest Bikini parade?? And how do
we get involved?
It’s going to be amazing!!! Last year we had over 200 models, 30 photographers, and 3 news stations cover our attempt at a new record for the World’s Largest Bikini Parade. This year we really have to make it happen but the new record is over 600 bikini wearers so we are shooting for 650 girls/ladies to wear their 2 piece bikini and walk a 1 mile course in downtown San Diego. It’s such an awesome event that creates such an amazing buzz for all of San Diego. We’ll be reaching out to all of the Model Dash girls to help us reach the new world record!
MD: Bikini Week is not only a great platform for models, but for
designers and photographers as well! How can these up and coming
creatives get involved?
You hit the nail right on the head. BW events are designed for the emerging talent in all of the above mentioned fields. Some of our former participants have gone on to shoot with Playboy, and been in numerous print media formats. In fact I’m sending some bikinis from 3 BW designers to Costa Rica for a very upscale photo shoot with some of the hottest models in the scene. There are so many opportunities that can open up for talent involved with BW. If you’d like to get involved you can simply email me your info and I can get the ball rolling for each person wanting to explore new opportunities.
MD: Every year seems to be getting bigger and better, do you have an
early prediction for next year?
BIKINI WEEK should be going international next year!!! We’ve had interest from Canada & Mexico and it should be pretty easy to make happen. Ultimately BW will continue to grow and eventually become the biggest swimwear fashion event. I’m always open to suggestions and people seem to keep hitting me up with new ideas for BW in years to come.
I don’t know about you but this has definitely got me in the mood for summer!
Thank you Michael and BikiniWeek for giving ModelDash a run-down of your fascinatingly busy world. We will be following all the exciting news and expect only bigger and better things to come.
For more information on BikiniWeek you can visit their websites:
Be sure to join their Facebook and Twitter Pages for all the latest castings and event schedules!
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