Although IMG has yet to revive Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, Miami has continued to host swimwear runway shows and presentations under the broad umbrella of Miami Swim Week. This year's event, which began July 14 and wrapped on Tuesday, saw veteran designers like Tori Praver and Vix Paula Hermanny house their bikini-clad cat-walkers inside Funkshion’s expanded two-tent facility in Collins Park. Meanwhile, hotels continued to act as swimwear springboards.
Funkshion staged upgraded activations and booths by Zico Coconut Water, Peroni, Kyobe, and Suja Juice. Still, some of last year's timing issues resurfaced as several shows were delayed, regularly running 30 minutes behind schedule as anxious crowds waited in droves outside check-in entrances. Nearby at the W South Beach, SwimMiami—a venture between LDJ Productions and SBI—staged productions that ran only 15 to 20 minutes behind start time, clearing attendees with cushion for the following show. The poolside engagements boasted a Tresemmé mini salon, an Uber ice cream cart, a Beauty for Real makeup stand, and Bobble water bottle giveaways. SwimMiami shows included Kaohs and Gottex.
Other brands chose a more intimate route. Australia-based lifestyle brand Camilla produced two events for its Swim Week debut: The first headlined the popular Fashion for Breakfast series at Cecconi's inside Soho Beach House. The mid-morning Friday gathering included a question-and-answer session moderated by People Style Watch’s Marissa Rubin with designer Camilla Franks and blogger Rocky Barnes. A presentation of Camilla’s 2016 resort-wear collection Jambo Jambo followed the conversation.
On Saturday, Camilla moved to a private suite inside Faena, adding the brand’s exotic touches to the hotel room via embellished pillows and propped surfboards. “As soon as we saw this venue, we knew it had to be here,” explained Franks. The living area displayed the new collection while serving raw bar, Mediterranean nibbles, and sips. The bedroom doubled as a pop-up shop, while the bathroom became a beauty enclave, harboring sound bowl healing by Faena’s Tierra Santa Spa alongside hair and makeup touchups.
While beauty has always been a natural secondary focus for Swim Week, lifestyle and wellness endeavors were more evident to attendees. The outdoorsy Teva velcro sandals, once considered a fashion faux pas, used Swim Week as an opportunity to tap into a hipper market via a D.I.Y. bar at the Standard. The activation invited influencers, bloggers, and editors to decorate their pair of plain black Tevas and share their creations via the hashtag #Tevadiy.
Mara Hoffman also planted roots at the Standard: The designer’s previous shows and presentations are a benchmark for Swim Week expectations, but this year Hoffman opted to host the property’s Sunday Lazy BBQ. The laid-back affair had tarot readings and a DJ set by Mia Moretti.
A sold-out Escape Miami, which relocated to the more weather-friendly Sagamore Hotel, echoed Swim Week’s lifestyle leanings. Peroni, a four-year sponsor, created an outdoor grassy lawn next to the DJ booth, creating a festival-like ambiance; inside, spray-tanning pop-ups and mini-facials drew large crowds. A Bloomingdale’s lounge added an energetic and upscale touch to the affair with a ring-toss giveaway system toting Gucci products. Among the notable activewear labels was Liquido, which provided yoga leggings for the V.I.P. swag bags. “We choose to be a part of Escape because we thought it was a natural fit to showcase our new collection of functional swimwear as well as our fitness line,” said Liquido C.E.O. Renata Facchini.
At 1 Hotel South Beach, Swim Week revelers had a chance to stay fit with a three-day Wellness Week, which featured complimentary yoga, pilates, and interval classes. Glamour magazine and retail newbies Monday Active (a new sister brand to Monday Swimwear) also hit the sand to break a sweat.
This year's Swim Week in Miami included a runway show from Kaohs at the W South Beach Hotel.
Camilla Franks (pictured in turban) posed with models wearing pieces from her Camilla swimwear line at Cecconi's inside Soho Beach House.
Fashion items from Australian design company Camilla were on display inside a private suite at Faena.
Miami fashionista Jenny Lopez posed for a photo at Camilla's party at Faena. The space was decorated with Camilla-designed embellished pillows and prop surfboards, making it ready for social media posts.
Swimwear designer Mara Hoffman participated in tarot-card readings at the Sunday Lazy BBQ her brand hosted at the Standard.
Guests lounged on the Peroni lawn at Escape Miami, held at the Sagamore Hotel. The festival-like atmosphere included floor pillows and lawn games.
Guests enjoyed mini-facials presented by Taradise at Escape Miami.
An ice sculpture encased several of sponsor Bobble's colorful water bottles.
Funkshion expanded to a two-tent facility for its runway shows at Collins Park.
