Swim Show 2016 – Miami Swim Week Wrap-Up

It’s a wrap! Swim Show 2016 during the Miami Swim Week

After one week of madness at the Miami Swim Week and one week of relaxation in Belize, I am finally back on my balcony catching up with life. If I had to describe, Miami Swim Week is just like TIFF for the swimwear industry, with hundreds of events including trade shows, runway shows, pop-up shops, after-parties and fundraising galas all jammed in one week.

Being the most recognized event during the Miami Swim Week, Swim Show 2016 took place from July 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center and showcased over 2,500 lines from the top and biggest in swimwear industry including brands from the Trimera Group, Manhattan Beach Wear Inc, and more.

Taking advantage of South Beach Miami’s sultry and seductive weather, Swim Show attracts thousands of visitors each year and has grown into the largest annual tradeshow for swimwear in the world since its inception in 1982. This year’s event saw over 3,000 of swimwear buyers and professionals from over 60 countries across the globe, and was even bigger than ever. Besides women’s swimwear collection, the show offered expanded men’s and children’s beachwear collections, and accessories for all occasions.

There was a lot to explore. Highlights included a fit seminar and workshop for retailers, a fashion law seminar for exhibitors, exhibitor runway shows, complimentary breakfast bar and high tea, and a Sip ‘N Savor cocktail party for buyers and exhibitors to network and mingle.

During the fit seminar and workshop, retailers had the opportunity to learn swimwear fitting skills with Frederika Zappe, Eveden Fit School’s national fit specialist, experience hands-on fitting boot camp for cup-sized swimwear, and walk away with a fit certificate.

At the exhibitors’ fashion law seminar, experienced attorneys from Greenberg Traurig explained essential knowledge and legal issues facing any fashion business, including FTC labeling rules, regulations governing the use of interns, the differences between a design and a utility patent, and the disclosure requirements for social media endorsements.

With so much happening, the Swimwear Association of Florida (SAF), recognized as the leader of swimwear exhibitions, sure knows how to make things easier for visitors. Each guest received a survival booklet with the floor plan, featured exhibitors categorized by brand names, collections, and country of origin, and a guide to Miami’s attractions and hot spots for wine & dine. Besides the complimentary food stations, buyers also received three $5 food vouchers for each day, which were redeemable at the food & drink vendors in the convention center. By downloading the Freebee mobile app, visitors could request, or simply just hop on and off any of SwimShow’s Freebee car, which took them throughout the area and to local hotels.

To promote Colombian products, which occupied 20 booths at the show, ProColombia provided a “passport to Colombia,” encouraging guests to collect a total of 20 stamps from their booths for a chance to win a round trip to Colombia.

Brands that really caught our eyes included Gili’s colourful men’s trunks, Offcorss’ adorable children’s swimwear and Mar de Rosas’ bikinis with a dream catcher incorporated in the back.

Gili’s swimwear

OFFCORSS children’s swimwear

Mar de Rosas swimwear

Mar de Rosas swimwear

To put a perfect ending to the four-day event, buyers took advantage of the complimentary domestic flat rate boxes offered on the last day to ship catalogues and line sheets that they collected from the show, and joined manufacturers, designers, and other fashion industry leaders at Swim Show’s annual cocktail party, Sip ‘N Savor, for cocktails and lite bites.