Market Moments: 5 Miami Swim Week Swimwear Brands to Watch
Next month, the Miami Swim Week Shows are returning with in-person trade shows, appointments, runway shows and various events, taking place from July 7 to 11. Across the Swim Week Tradeshows, swim and ready-to-wear brands ranging from emerging and established are making their Miami debuts. Here, WWD spotlights five new swimwear exhibitors — and labels to watch — across the Miami Swim Week Tradeshows: Cabana, Coterie and Paraiso.
Brand: Maygel Coronel
Miami Swim Week Show: Cabana
Founder/Designer: Maygel Coronel
Background: Design
Years in Business: Four
Price Point: $270 to $450
Stockists: Matchesfashion, Neiman Marcus, Moda Operandi, Intermix, Tsum, Lane Crawford and Harrods, among others.
Aesthetic: “Founded in Cartagena, Colombia in 2017, Maygel Coronel is a brand for women and life under the sun. Inspired by home — the city of Cartagena where the beach meets luxury — I felt the need to design a collection that could effortlessly translate from day to evening. Color, volume, and shape offer an essence of Latin flare for the Mujer Cartagenera. My mission is to honor the women who wear her collection while also extending the life of each garment through functional designs that can be worn beyond the beach—closing the gap between ready-to-wear and swimwear. [I] believe in the infinite beauty of femininity as well as the female as an individual in both form and personality,” Coronel told WWD.
Other core pillars of the brand include its shape memory technology; versatile and inclusive designs; sustainable and eco-friendly production and community involvement.
“The ethos of the brand is centered around a seasonless product which supports a slow fashion model as well as a versatile design.”
Brand: Leimakani
Miami Swim Week Show: Paraiso
Founder/Designer: Kali‘a Leimakani Kekela Wasson
Background: “[I] am a 23-year-old Native Hawaiian CEO and designer of Leimakani and professional Hula/Polynesian dancer. Fluent in Hawaiian and English, [I have] danced Hula from the age of three. [I] grew up in a small town called Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, where most of the designs are inspired by. [I] will be the very first Native Hawaiian to be featured in Miami Swim Week,” Leimakani Kekela Wasson told WWD.
Years in Business: 1
Price Point: $60 to $65 for a top or bottom; $110 to $125 for maillots
Stockists: Exclusive to the brand’s e-commerce and looking to expand into wholesale
Aesthetic: Natural, tropical, versatile.
“Each tropical or floral design was handcrafted uniquely by myself and most are only sold exclusively until sold out. Leimakani was created to empower all women. We want all women to embrace their bodies and feel confident in their swimsuits. It is not about the swimsuit but the woman in it.
I also use the brand to educate people about the Hawaiian language as well; naming each piece a Hawaiian name meaningful to her. The brand offers a unique story, one that comes from seeing Hawai‘i from a different point of view than as a tourist destination. I stand for representation of Hawaiian heritage and culture and my heart shows through each of my designs and campaigns. Leimakani is definitely more than just a swimwear brand,” the founder stated.
Brand: Sunlight Muse
Miami Swim Week Show: Destination: Miami by Coterie
Founder/Designer: Raika Jiha
Background: “I was born and raised in Haiti, moved to Miami in 2016 because of political unrest and insecurity in the country. The brand launched in late December 2019; after working on the collection that whole year, the pandemic just two months after — which made it extremely challenging,” Jiha told WWD.
The brand manufactures in Miami, is women-operated, and uses eco-friendly plastic on its 1970s-inspired pieces.
Years in Business: Two
Price Point: $150 to $300
Stockists: Wolf & Badger, Soho Beach House, pivotMKT
Aesthetic: “Sunlight Muse is more than just a swimwear brand, Sunlight Muse is a lifestyle — a movement to motivate women to love themselves, to push all limitations set by society, to pursue their dreams and persevere despite any obstacles, essentially encouraging women to break the mold. The mission is to empower every woman through fun, edgy and daring designs that fuse sophistication with the beauty of the female body in mind,” the founder explained.
Brand: Tanya Taylor
Miami Swim Week Show: Cabana
Founder/Designer: Tanya Taylor
Background: “Tanya Taylor is a New York-based women’s wear brand whose mission is to inspire all women to live in color. By celebrating individuality, we aim to create a community where every woman feels included. Through the artful use of color, texture and original hand-painted prints, each collection is designed to bring confidence and high-energy happiness into a woman’s daily life. [My label] is an inclusive brand defined by a point of view and is proud to offer styles in sizes 0 to 22 each season,” Taylor told WWD.
Years in Business: Nine, launched in-house swim in 2021
Price Point: From $85 for a hat to $190 for a two-piece set; all swimsuits available from $185 to $190.
Stockists: Tanyataylor.com; Shopbop; Neiman Marcus; Bergdorf Goodman
Aesthetic: “The first in-house swim collection combines the designer’s signature hand-painted prints with modern, feminine silhouettes inspired by her ready-to-wear collections,” the brand commented.
Brand: Naranja Furcado
Miami Swim Week Show: Paraiso
Founder/Designer: Valentina Cabrales
Background: “Naranja Furcado is a playful and minimalist-inspired label inspired by the only necessity in swimwear: simplicity. Launched in 2018 in Barranquilla, Colombia with the sole idea of being comfortable, chic and making every woman wearing Naranja Furcado feel like the poolside protagonist. Each piece from every collection is made in Colombia, ensuring delicacy, quality and comfort. Channeling sustainability and simple, natural elements, we’ve also made wraps of recycled fisherman’s mesh fabrics that pair well with any piece from our collection,” Cabrales told WWD.
Years in Business: Four
Price Point: Average price is $90 for top and bottom, combined.
Stockists: Frankie Miami, iShine365, Stitch Lab Marketplace, and on the brand’s website, Naranjafurcado.com
Aesthetic: Minimalist yet colorful
