Minerva Alonso, Gran Canaria Swim Week: “We have positioned the show at the ideal time of year”

Madrid – During the last edition of Gran Canaria Swim Week (GCSW), held on the island of Gran Canaria from June 24 to 27, FashionUnited had the opportunity for our traditional “tête-à-tête” with Minerva Alonso. Alonso is the minister for Economic Development of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and the main political and organisational head of the event. She highlights that with each new edition, the platform serves to both promote and consolidate the island as a specialised swimwear hub.

This commemorative edition marked the event's 30th anniversary. It was particularly notable for its historic date change within the calendar. In conversation with Alonso, topics discussed included the GCSW's move from October to June, the strategies being implemented to strengthen the event as “the only swimwear fashion show in Europe” and the broader swimwear industry ecosystem on the island.

These ambitions are supported by investments from the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through its textile industry support programme, Gran Canaria Moda Cálida. They are also backed by various alliances and collaboration agreements with international associations. Key agreements include those with entities that, like GCSW, are part of the European Fashion Alliance. This includes Bucharest Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council (BFC), with whom GCSW made “initial contact” during this 2026 edition.

What is your perspective of this commemorative edition of GCSW and the many new changes you have continued to introduce to the event?

Well, actually, they are all part of the internationalisation plan we started implementing a few years ago. This plan has ultimately created the Swimwear Fashion Week we have today. This marks its 18th edition.

However, it is an event that has celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

That's right. It all started as a very local event on the island, aimed at supporting small fashion workshops in Gran Canaria. It has since evolved into this professional, international, and specialised swimwear event. It is an event not only visited by brands from other places, but one from which we also maintain a close relationship with various European Fashion Councils through the European Fashion Alliance.

We must also mention the specialised, international, and national media who come to follow the event closely. Considering all this, the GCSW team is very pleased with the results, not just of this edition, but of every Gran Canaria Swimwear Fashion Week we have promoted in recent years. With each edition, we take another step towards establishing ourselves as an island specialising in swimwear.

As part of this commitment, this year, 2026, we have seen a profound change with the rescheduling of the event. Is this date adjustment going to be permanent for future editions?

The new dates are now fixed. They are fixed because we have positioned the event at the ideal time of year to coordinate with the international trade fair White Milano, with whom we have a close collaboration and whose next edition is scheduled for September. This also aligns us with Momad, whose new edition starts this July in Madrid, and with the Paris exhibition calendar.

We can say that we are now in place and will not be moving after making this date change. I would like to stress that this change was not a unilateral decision by the Cabildo. It was agreed upon based on external advice from international and national industry agents, especially from the Asociación Creadores de Moda de España and a major Spanish fashion production agency like ESMA.

Another important change for the event's image, though less structural, was moving the outdoor shows this year. For the first time since their return in 2024, they moved from Pasito Blanco to Perchel Beach Club. How do you envision this strategy continuing in future editions?

We always evaluate different options for outdoor activations. As you said, we held the shows at Pasito Blanco for two years. This year, we held them at Perchel for the first time. After this edition concludes, we will assess how they went at this location and whether we will, and can, repeat a second edition there, or if another alternative arises.

The important thing is that we will continue to open the Swimwear Fashion Week with an outdoor event. We do this because we have, and want to convey, the values of this island, which define us and stem from our environment.

“With each edition, we take another step towards establishing ourselves as an island specialising in swimwear.”

This hasn't been officially announced, but it seems the event is also changing its communication strategy. For instance, it appears you are trying to attract more “micro-influencers” for visibility, while using more professional profiles as the “face” of each edition.

That's right. We are focusing on that strategy and, as you say, on professionalisation. We are welcoming models who walk in international shows and feature in publications, not just magazines, but essentially in highly specialised fashion media. Continuing along this line of communication and image is what gives us more credibility with the fashion industry audience that truly interests us.

The event continues to be presented as the only one in Europe specialising in swimwear. However, every year we see a growing number of platforms in the same sector that seem to be trying to establish themselves, such as “Ibiza Swim Week”, which held its third edition this June. Could this pose a risk to the goal of continuing to promote the island as a specialised swimwear hub?

I haven't had the chance to engage with that event. In any case, GCSW remains the only specialised swimwear fashion show in Europe that belongs to the European Fashion Alliance. It is therefore the only one recognised as such, and the only one through which we collaborate with the Asociación de Creadores de Moda de España and the other organisations in our coalition.

Regardless, if that is their goal, I think it's great that a region supports its craftsmanship and fashion. This is what the Cabildo has been doing for 30 years with the Gran Canaria Moda Cálida programme. I believe this is an initiative that other regions, not just in Spain but across Europe, should try to replicate.

In recent months, I have had the opportunity to give talks in Berlin and Barcelona. In both, I highlighted how the Cabildo de Gran Canaria is the only public institution with a fashion promotion programme of this kind. Through this programme, we not only organise this fashion show but also have various lines of work aimed at the fashion sector. In total, we are allocating over three million euros to these initiatives this year.

Now that we are talking about figures, what return do you estimate these investments are generating?

Regarding the fashion show, we have been analysing the economic impact of the Swimwear Fashion Week over the last three years, and it is around 6.2 to 6.3 million euros. However, in the last edition, 2025, for example, we soared to 10.3 million euros.

Looking beyond the fashion show itself, how are these investments affecting the swimwear industry ecosystem in Gran Canaria?

The Cabildo de Gran Canaria does not have that data because we lack the statistical analysis tools to obtain it. This does not mean we cannot conduct a one-off study on the sector. However, this statistical tracking should be carried out by the Government of the Canary Islands through ISTAC, the Canary Islands Statistics Institute. ISTAC is responsible for conducting statistical studies on the economic sectors of the islands, such as textiles, for which we have not had data since 2023.

So, from the Cabildo de Gran Canaria's side, what are the latest indicators you have on the island's swimwear industry and its evolution?

Although we don't have detailed information, the last study we conducted on self-employment on the island did show that self-employment in the textile sector increased by +70 percent between 2019 and 2023. This data is relatively old, and of course, it would be good to have the next set, from 2023 to 2026.

It means that many people are registering as self-employed in the sector. They are doing so because they can make a living from it, which is also evident from the data from the various public calls we organise. This is a very positive aspect for the Cabildo. This trend and reality are reflected in the policies we are developing and in how we are allocating the nearly 3.2 million euros dedicated to the textile sector.

“GCSW remains the only specialised swimwear fashion show in Europe.”

So, what are these funds being allocated to?

As I mentioned, they are not just for this Swimwear Fashion Week. They also go towards our subsidy lines for emerging companies and for established businesses to support machinery acquisition and cover running costs. We also finance a training scholarship programme. This programme helps final-year students, from both university degrees and vocational training courses, to work in the island's workshops of companies participating in the Gran Canaria Moda Cálida programme.

In addition, we have training programmes in educational centres for both students and teachers, and we finance the internationalisation plan developed with the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce.

How would you say this initiative is helping to boost the visibility of the island's swimwear beyond its natural borders?

All the achievements we have made in this regard, both in terms of international visibility and especially in our relationships with other European Fashion Weeks and Fashion Councils, have been through this internationalisation plan.

At the beginning of the interview, you mentioned that GCSW originated from a non-specialised initiative, as a support platform for the island's general fashion sector. How do you support that sector now?

For that, as part of our investment programme and lines of work, we have two of our own events per year. These allow companies, especially the more established ones, to gain visibility, present their collections, market them, and even hold their own shows. These are two independent platforms; one is related to ceremonial wear, and the other to general fashion and craftsmanship.

In addition to these platforms, there is also the GCSW commercial showroom for buyers, which seems to have had some new developments for what was its third edition.

Yes, this year we changed the commercial showroom, and it wasn't run as it had been for the last two years. It wasn't working as we wanted. Based on the errors and difficulties we had identified, we made a change.

Instead of having the usual physical space and telling buyers they could visit during certain hours, we replaced it with a welcome programme. This was supported by personalised agendas and pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and the heads of brands that had sparked their interest. Through these appointments, we encouraged buyers to get to know the product and the brand in a much more personal way.

“The date change was made to encourage sales agreements to be closed during the Swimwear Fashion Week.”

And how did this change turn out?

The report has not yet been made public. However, commercial contacts were established between various brands and different buyers who attended this edition of GCSW, and these contacts have resulted in sales.

Well, that was precisely the main objective of this date change, wasn't it?

Of course. Ultimately, the date change was made precisely to make that happen, to allow sales agreements to be closed during the Swimwear Fashion Week. The industry itself told us clearly that if the dates weren't changed, neither specialised media nor buyers would come.

That is exactly what Melanie Bauer from the German agency Melagence told me during the 2025 edition, just a few days before the date change was announced. This shows that you certainly maintain a proactive stance when it comes to listening to feedback.

I don't see it any other way. You have to remember that we, as the Cabildo, are an island institution, a public body like a town council, and we don't have fashion experts.

So what do we do? We listen to the sector, to the people who are in it day-to-day. We evaluate our policies based on feedback from companies, professional and industry associations, and other institutions we collaborate with, such as the Fashion Councils or the Chamber of Commerce. Based on that work, we introduce changes and also reinforce the points that are proving to be positive and successful.

You point to the alliances and relationships you have with industry organisations like Fashion Council Germany or Copenhagen Fashion Week. How would you say these alliances are contributing to strengthening both GCSW and the goal of reinforcing Gran Canaria as a key island for the swimwear sector?

Firstly, international alliances give us credibility. Additionally, with Fashion Council Germany and its CEO, Scott Lipinski, for example, we have an international advisory relationship where they guide us on how, where, and in what way to present ourselves and occupy a space within the sector. This has been very positive for the image of Gran Canaria, for the image of the Swimwear Fashion Week, and it has influenced the message we are conveying internationally.

Is it also positive for the fashion brands from the island?

Without a doubt. For example, thanks to these contacts, Pedro Palmas is going to Lisbon Fashion Week, and we are already looking into the possibility of Carmen González, from the lingerie brand Gonzales, going to Berlin. These are positive alliances, and we continue to work on them. In fact, this edition saw the first-time attendance of representatives from Bucharest Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council, with whom we are beginning to establish contact.

This is similar to the relationships we have maintained for years with Denmark and Copenhagen Fashion Week, or with the White Milano trade fair, with whom we work in a very coordinated manner. Therefore, the goal is to continue working in this direction to further establish this island as a swimwear destination.

“We want to create a project that originates from the schools and helps to encourage the continued creation of swimwear companies on the island of Gran Canaria.”

And what about the alliance with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)? Has there been any change since the last edition regarding the “on pause” situation for initiatives from both sides?

The situation remains the same. However, the American Designers Council knows that if an American brand is interested in showing here, just as American designer Dan Ward continues to do, we are open to listening to and considering any proposal they present.

We have not lost contact or communication. It is true, however, that we continue with investments and strategies in the US on hold, because at a time like this, it would not make sense to do otherwise.

Returning to the point about this initial contact with Bucharest and the BFC, what expectations and forecasts did you have when you began to build these emerging alliances?

As you say, what we have had now is an initial contact. We invited them to come here, to experience our Swimwear Fashion Week, and to learn about the resources it offers, who we are, what we do, why we do it, and what our objectives are.

During the meetings with their representatives, they also explained what they do and their priorities. We have now given ourselves the time between the end of the event and after the summer for our teams to start working on forms of collaboration.

So these are not formalised alliances, like the ones established with Germany, Denmark, or the CFDA?

No, no collaboration or alliance has been formalised. What we have had is an initial contact, just as we had at the time with the rest of those and other organisations. We have started talking, and now we will begin to see in what ways, and how, we can collaborate.

However, having said all that, I insist that we are part of the European Fashion Alliance, so we maintain a continuous collaborative relationship with the other members.

Looking to the future, what strategies do you plan to implement to continue strengthening and promoting the fashion show and the swimwear industry in Gran Canaria?

For the Swimwear Fashion Week, we are naturally still open to more international brands coming to show here. We also remain committed to promoting our platform for presenting swimwear collections to international brands. It is very important that brands are now contacting us directly, as was the case with Chantelle, who told us directly that they wanted to participate in our event. Ultimately, these are ongoing objectives for the Swimwear Fashion Week, and we want to continue working in this direction.

And regarding the island's industry, beyond the fashion show itself?

In that area, we want to continue working especially on everything related to schools and training. We already have scholarships and training courses, but our specialisation is swimwear. We want to create a project that originates from the schools and helps to encourage the continued creation of swimwear companies on the island of Gran Canaria, and for more local swimwear companies to join our Swimwear Fashion Week. So the objectives here are to work in that direction and, of course, to continue strengthening our internationalisation plan, which is very important to us.