Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is just around the corner, and to kick off our coverage, we are going to talk about the most recent Mercedes-Benz Presents recipient, Naeem Khan.

Many of the world’s most stylish women are devotees to Naeem Khan, one of the biggest names in fashion. Always committed to adorning elegant women in clothes befitting their refinement, his glittering fan base of starlets and socialites includes Beyonce, Penelope Cruz, Lea Michele, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Florence Welch, Eva Longoria, Emily Blunt, First Lady Michelle Obama and Queen Noor of Jordan, and his designs have graced the silver screen in fashion film classics like Sex & the City and Dreamgirls.

“The admiration we have for Naeem Khan’s designs and his exceptional reputation throughout the fashion industry make him the ideal ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ designer,” said Lisa Holladay, manager of brand experience marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA. “His highly-crafted embroidered pieces and breathtaking gowns that grace the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week are expressions of his precision and expertise, and we are thrilled to support his show this season.”

“As a lifetime Mercedes-Benz owner, the honor of being chosen as the ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ designer has a very special meaning to me,” says Naeem Khan. “I am thrilled to receive this accolade from a brand that shares the same passion for innovative design and quality craftsmanship that I do.”

In its ninth year, the “Mercedes-Benz Presents” program continues to create unique experiences that tie fashion and automobile design together while supporting the growing needs of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designers. Each season, a designer is chosen that demonstrates an unparalleled talent and a dedication to the use of quality materials, unique style and innovative design, all characteristics that define the three-pointed star. Khan joins a prestigious list of past “Mercedes-Benz Presents” designers including Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, Badgley Mischka, Narciso Rodriguez, and CHADO Ralph Rucci.

As part of the Presents program, Mercedes-Benz is featuring a display in the lobby of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week showcasing two examples of superb craftsmanship and design: pieces from the Naeem Khan collection and the 2012 ML63 AMG SUV. Just as a fashion designer creates haute couture works of art, Mercedes-Benz creates one-of-a-kind bespoke vehicles out of the highest-quality paints, leathers and trims. The ML63 AMG on display is the ideal example showcasing the perfect combination of pure performance and chic design roaring with 518 horsepower hand-built engine and an ultra luxe leather interior, featuring hand sewn cross-stitching as well as an optional carbon fiber engine cover and red brake calipers, making this vehicle a fascinating fashion statement.

The display will also be the backdrop for an exclusive invite-only Fashion’s Night In event on Thursday, February 9th, to kick off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Invited guests will take part in a Mercedes-Benz DIY Style Studio to make their own bespoke fashion accessories out of luxe vehicle materials. Naeem Khan will make a special appearance along with event hosts, Nicola Ehrenberg-Uhlig, Head of Conceptual Design Team Color & Trim for Mercedes-Benz, Erica Domesek of P.S. I made this… and accessories designer Paige Novick.

The Naeem Khan runway show is being held on Tuesday, February 14th at 2pm in the Theatre.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is taking place in New York City at Lincoln Center from February 9-16, 2012 with more than 80 designers presenting their Fall 2012 collections including Naeem Khan, Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Michael Kors, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Rebecca Taylor, Reem Acra, Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller, Charlotte Ronson and Betsey Johnson.

Mara Hoffman, the designer known for her originality of designs and fearless approach to print and color, receives the distinguished title of “Mercedes-Benz Presents” designer this season.  Hoffman will showcase her collection alongside over thirty of the industry’s most influential swimwear designers during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at The Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach beginning July 18th.

The “Mercedes-Benz Presents” program recognizes one designer each season showing at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim that demonstrates dedication to the use of quality materials, unique style and innovative design.  Mara Hoffman joins a prestigious list of past “Mercedes-Benz Presents” designers including:  Vitamin A, Red Carter, Trina Turk, and LUXE by Lisa Vogel.

“Mara Hoffman is one of the most prestigious swimwear designers in the industry and we are honored to welcome her into the ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ program, which continues to support the swimwear industry globally,” said Stephanie Zimmer, manager of brand experience marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.  “Mara’s unique prints are unmistakable and evoke a very spirited, playful attitude much like our 2014 E-Class Cabriolet debuting this season.”

For the first time, Mara Hoffman will debut a print design from her runway collection as the paint finish on the 2014 E-Class Cabriolet during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim.  The wrapped E-Class Cabriolet will be stopping by South Beach hot spots to give out invitations to runway shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim.  The one-of-a-kind print will also debut on a unique fashion item designed exclusively by Hoffman and will be on sale at Alchemist fashion boutique in Miami.

“It was a dream come true to see one of my designed prints as the paint finish on a Mercedes-Benz convertible,” said Mara Hoffman.   “I am sincerely honored to have been selected as the ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ designer and I cannot wait to kick off all of the festivities this season has in store.”

Designers presenting their 2014 collections include: AGUA BENDITA, POKO PANO, DOLORES CORTÉS, SUBOO, BEACH BUNNY, NICOLITA, AQUA DI LARA, MARA HOFFMAN SWIM, VIX PAULA HERMANNY, CM CIA.MARĺTIMA, NANETTE LEPORE, OAKLEY, BCBGENERATION, GOTTEX, L*SPACE BY MONICA WISE, A.Z ARAUJO, LULI FAMA, CAFFÉ SWIMWEAR, MAAJI SWIMWEAR, SAUVAGE, ZINGARA SWIMWEAR, NAÏLA, 6 SHORE ROAD, A.CHÉ SWIM, AGUACLARA, AQUARELLA SWIMWEAR, CAITLIN KELLY SWIMWEAR and MINIMALE ANIMALE.