Latin American designers take center stage during Miami Swim Week trade show
After a heavy halt on trade shows and in-person events, Destination: Miami by Coterie brought a fashion renaissance with Colombian luxury brands, Brazilian craftsmanship, and American-made resort wear suited for the smart buyer. Coterie presents innovative trends within the swimwear and resort wear industry with a contemporary mindset. While influencers, photographers, and other fashion connoisseurs flocked the Paraiso tent, buyers were meeting at The Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach, the destination for Latin American designers to showcase a selection of accessories, jewelry, and contemporary clothing.
As behemoth online retailers like boohoo, Shein, and PrettyLittleThing lured Gen Zers to their high-profile events, the Coterie show had one mission in mind: be the protagonist of luxury elevated apparel. “From a merchandising perspective Coterie displays contemporary apparel, swimwear, resort wear, and other accessories that fall in a vacation mindset, and interesting footwear that fits that vibe,” shared Vice President of Contemporary Events Courtney Bradarich.
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Throughout the floor, vendors in the Latin American market included JessiCaballero, St. Dom, Palo Rosa, Azulu, Yajaira Ramirez Jewelry, Puntamar, and more. “But there is also an interesting duality to have domestic brands as well.” This vacation-centered market sought the opportunity to network with other resort boutiques that sell not only swimwear but summer-inspired collections. And in a time where a vaccinated society is starting to travel to idyllic places, there is a trend in joy dressing; “everybody’s desire to dress again in bolder prints and colors, it’s similar to the roaring 20s. Everybody is feeling optimistic for the first time in a year and a half and there is a nod to dressing up in that nature. For this reason, these brands are going to do well thanks to their joyful clothing and things that nod to vacation. It all really ties to our newfound optimism,” shared Bradarich.
Ultimately, these brands know they have to learn to be omnichannel ready and how to develop their eCommerce and social media practices. Bradarich mentioned that “for many of these smaller and emerging brands, wholesale is their bread and butter. Direct-to-consumer is a new initiative that is starting to become their focus but they’re learning to merge both for a true omnichannel business.”
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While this business-to-business-focused event is dedicated mostly to showcase unique swimwear designers in the Latin American market, there are also other international brands from Bali presenting their collections. From a consumer viewpoint, buyers won’t find traditional polyester pieces hanging on a clothing rack. Instead, buyers could peruse the floor and discover interesting textiles, crochet pieces, bamboo linen, handmade dresses, and sustainable products. For example, Nay Sunsetwear is a specific brand that uses recycled textiles to extract colors and dye their garments. Therefore, there are very specific colors in each of their pieces.
One of the reasons many Latin American brands are inherently sustainable is because they source local fabrics and workers. It is a way for the Latinx community to share their story through garments. While most people have a misconception that Latin American designers are not able to mass produce, in reality, their connection with their environment has allowed these small business owners to acquire resources and do things on a larger scale. “But the purpose of these designers is to earn a niche market of consumers interested in luxury and quality materials. These are not the type of brands seeking to work with the Walmarts of the world,” concluded Bradarich.
The intention is to deliver high-quality collections that separate the fast-fashion consumer from the one who sources specific elements in their wardrobe. Coterie is indeed a place for the buyer seeking originality, curated fashion, and the best of South America.