In-depth History of Miami Swim Week
Miami Swim Week has grown a lot over the years, and is now know as the largest swimwear show globally. In this blog, we will take a walk down history lane and give you an inside look at the beginnings of Swim Week.
How Did Miami Swim Week Start?
Jimmy Woodman (founder of Active.com) started Miami Swim Week in 1989. At that time, the event was created to coexist with the Florida Sports Magazine. Swim Week in Miami ran as a successful event from 1989 to 1998.
This was just the beginning of one of the largest fashion shows nationwide. While its origins died out around 1998, Swim Week made a huge comeback. Keep reading to find out more about this luxury event and why it has been a huge success.
Revival Of Miami Swim Week
In 2005, Sports International revived Miami Swim Week. Its relaunch was bigger than ever and has continued to grow every year since. Miami Sports International, which is a subsidiary of Swim Gym Aquatics, was responsible for the relaunch of Miami Swim Week.
Jonathan Strauss, the captain of the University of Florida Swim Team, was chosen to organize the event. At this time, the main goal was to introduce open-water swimming with the hopes it would become popular and eventually be considered for an Olympic event.
The creators of the event had hoped it would be a platform for the swimming community to contribute to their sport. Many Olympians did take part in the open-swim event including Tiffany Cohen, Robert Strauss, Nathan Adrian, Ed Moses, Anthony Ervin, Ricardo Moasterio, George Bovell, and Gary Hall.
However, the open-water swim event died off in 2016. At that time, the H2O Foundation was in charge of the event and hoped it would help decrease the number of drownings that occurred in South Florida.
Shockwaves Sent Through The Industry
IMG joined Swim Week in 2004. Their big show was known as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim and was held at the Raleigh Hotel. IMG managed to transform the event into a luxury fashion show where all the elites came to party.
Hotels all around Miami were jumping on board and offering after-parties, dinner parties, sponsorships, and a variety of other opportunities. Many hotels began hosting their own shows that coincided with the big IMG runway show.
The biggest shock came when IMG announced they would not be returning to Miami Beach. This happened in 2015 and it certainly brought concern for fashion designers around the world. However, the event was taken over by Swim Fashion Week and SwimMiami, which launched in 2018.
Swim Weeks Big Change
Swim Week took a turn and is now more about fashion designers. Each year, hundreds of designers from around the globe travel to Miami to show off their swimsuit collections and resort wear.
Thousands of models, influencers, celebrities, media, and designers flock to Miami Swim Week each year. It continues to grow and offer new and exciting products, with swimwear taking the forefront.
Trends are brought to the Miami Swim Week runways each year allowing consumers to stay current with what's in at the moment. Popular brands continue to show off their swimwear collections including Vasaro, Roxy, Wildfox Swim, and Beach Bunny.
Miami Swim Week 2024
As designers prepare for the 2024 runway shows, you can expect all the latest trends to hit Miami this May. The official dates for the Paraiso Runway Shows are May 29th to June 5th. The schedule for other shows has not yet been released. It is expected that satellite locations around Miami will host runway shows that coincide with Paraiso.
Follow Vasaro's blog or Fashion Week Online for the most up-to-date schedule information for 2024 Miami Swim Week. Swim Week has surpassed the 10-year mark since it relaunched. Each year hundreds of designers, models, and industry leaders flock to Miami to take part in this event.
The runways only get hotter, more creative, and insanely fun to watch with each year that passes. Come support Vasaro on the runway this year and see what all the hype is about.
