California Apparel News

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—It has been a hot summer across America, which means it was perfect weather for the hundreds of exhibitors at the annual Miami Swim Show & Lingerie Show, held July 20–24 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Vendors ranged from some of the swimwear market’s most prominent swim companies, such as Manhattan Beachwear, headquartered in Cypress, Calif., to emerging labels, such as Calavera, manufactured in Los Angeles.

With 400 booths encompassing 2,500 swim brands, it is the largest trade show for swimwear in the world, the event’s producers said.

Despite a struggling national and global economy, the trade show’s business has increased, said Judy Stein, the show’s executive director. She noted that the show added more than 50 new booths this year. “We’re in a better position than we were a couple of years ago,” Stein said.

This was the 30th anniversary for the event, which has kept its reputation as the swimwear trade show where you make a brand statement, said Gary Silverman, executive vice president for Anne Cole Swimwear, originally a California label and now produced by New York–based In Mocean. The label sent more than 20 people to work in its over 5,000-square-foot booth. “It kicks off swimwear not just here but internationally. It’s a big deal for us,” Silverman said.

Almost every category of retailer shopped the swimwear and lingerie show. Online majors Macy’s (www.macys.com), Zappos.com and Amazon.com sent buyers to the trade show along with prominent specialty shops such as Zumiez and Pacific Sunwear of California as well as independent boutiques such as SLO Swim of San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The trade show was a particular draw for retailers located in the southeastern part of the United States as well as Latin America. Buyers for Mexican vertical retailer Fullsand Co. attended the show as did Bora Bora, a surf shop based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Measured business

Most vendors reported that traffic and ordering at the show was steady. Shelley Filip, owner of SLO Swim since 1997 and a swimwear buyer since 1985, said her budget for the show was even with last year. “I’m getting new lines. I’m getting rid of some lines. I’m being more selective with which lines are going to be in the store. I’m not increasing my dollars,” she said.

While swimwear business has improved as the economy has improved, most vendors said it takes more effort to make a sale now than before the recession.

Juniors brands also must contend with heavy competition from fast-fashion brands.

Vincent Patry, who was in charge of international sales at the show for Lost Enterprises, an Irvine, Calif.–based surf label, said many surf labels are seeking to take market share from powerful fast-fashion retailers such as Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) to bolster their business. “Our game is to put a lot of details [on swimwear] like the highend brands but offer them at a reasonable cost,” he said.

Buyer tastes and swimwear trends varied, show vendors said. Parke & Ronen reported steady sales for its men’s fashion swim trunks and shorts, said Ronen Jehezkel, cofounder of the brand, sold at Barneys New York Co-Op, Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Core retail prices are $150 for the brand’s trunks. “I wondered if we were too fashionable for this show,” he said. “I wonder if we did basic colors and no details if we’d make more money here.”

SLO Swim owner Filip said trends for women’s swimwear included greater stress on activewear and athletics. High-end fashion swimwear also remains popular, she said. During the show, she placed orders for fashion swimwear labels Boys + Arrows, located in Ventura, Calif.; Luli Fama Swimwear, based in Miami; and Tori Praver Swimwear, based in Maui, Hawaii.

The large swimwear show was also a place to sell garments that complement swimwear, said Meg Vitacco, a New York sales representative for the Los Angeles–based Rachel Pally brand. Along with taking orders for the label’s Limon bikini, Vitacco reported receiving orders for the label’s caftans.

Vitacco said business and retail traffic was steady throughout the show, but impressions of the show’s traffic varied among exhibitors. Large and established brands reported robust business and traffic while smaller and emerging labels reported sluggish business.

Anna Kosturova, a designer for her self-named brand, Anna Kosturova in Vancouver, Canada, said labels have to attend a few Miami Swim Shows before they are discovered by retailers. “Don’t expect to make $1 million the first time out,” she said.