The Summer Fashion Summit: A New Initiative by PARAISO Miami Beach Co-Founder Natalija Dedic Stojanovic

NDS: This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Miami Swim week. I just can't believe it flew by so fast, here we are 20 years later with an industry that grew exponentially from when we started in 2004. I remember the designers were only showing through showrooms because the companies were so small, they couldn't support individual shows. And now the swimwear industry is taking a big part of the overall fashion industry and for a long time it was the fastest growing segment within the fashion industry. It's not anymore, now it’s accessories but we do have a lot of accessories throughout trade shows and events. We definitely see the accessory segment as being a big part of the event as well.  So, the reason why I started Summer Fashion Summit is because I felt that the educational component was missing.

The whole event is really a Fashion Week that is focused on the swimwear industry, and throughout the years, because it's here in Miami, and all the founders were very young it just developed a little bit differently than a traditional Fashion Week, if that makes sense. So, there is a lot of music, a lot of parties, and a lot of poolside cocktails! So, all the collections are presented in a little bit more fun casual summery way.  

But now, the industry is so big and we became that entry point for all the global swimwear brands to break into the U.S market. I kind of felt that the educational component was missing.  Where is that Summit?  Where do all these brands and buyers gather, where they can talk about where the market is going, what are these new trends? What are the steps to break into the U.S market? How to set up a really strong wholesale foundation for your brand -- all of that was missing! What I was seeing throughout the years is one conversation here and there about inclusivity about the importance of community and social, but it was not focused on the business of the industry. 

NDS: There are a variety of panel discussions, and the goal is really to pick the topics that will give guests an insight and some learning that they can take home when they leave the Summit. So, again the topics are focused on wholesale, on marketing, on how to excel within a saturated market. The swimwear industry is very saturated. There is only a certain number of ways you can construct that swimsuit, right? So, it's really hard to stand out.

I think the Summit is not only for the brands that are looking to start. We see a well-rounded group mixed with academics, professors who want to come and hear about these designers and hear new trends; also, we do see a lot of students from fashion universities that are eager to learn. They are like sponges. We see young designers that maybe finished school and are looking to start a brand. We see a lot of designers that already have their own brands and are trying to grow those brands. We also see a lot of people from marketing agencies, people that are on the designer teams. So, I would say there is a wide range of people that attend the Summit. But it is definitely focused on the swimwear and resort wear industry. There are a lot of fashion summits around the world but none of them are really focused on the swimwear industry. We’re really trying to get the industry together and share those new trends, as far as marketing and E-Commerce and wholesale. 

NDS: Exactly. We're all trying to be more focused on sustainability in our everyday living and in fashion. That is a responsibility that all of us in the fashion industry carry because it is the second biggest polluter in the world. All these brands really try to give back and to have a certain angle on sustainability, whether it’s using fabric that is made out of recycled bottles or planting trees or having a take-back program. So, there are different ways that brands can take a step forward and really try to be more eco-conscious in their manufacturing processes, and with their brands. 

NDS:  Yes, of course, I come from Serbia, formerly Yugoslavia, and I was a TV host for over seven years on national television in Serbia and I was focused on fashion. And when I moved here to the United States for love, I was given a second opportunity to really kind of choose something that I also love.  At the time my husband was involved in a different bi-annual Fashion Week event in Miami, and with time I took over that event - I rebranded everything and focused on the swimwear industry. So that's how I started but my background does come from being a journalist. So that's kind of always with me in my heart. I love journalism.

Every year we partner up with Style Saves which is an organization that gives back to students in need, and we select a certain number of seats at our shows that get auctioned off and all the proceeds go back to Style Saves.  We also partner with Fashion for Good, which is another philanthropic agency that also gives back. It is a group of Miami-based influencers that kind of get together once a year and they gather their closets and they do a big sale and all the profits go to charities of their choice. We also partner with Coral City which is focused on preservation of corals in Miami. They were recently given a big grant by the city of Miami for replanting corals. Any non-profit that is focused on the preservation of the ocean or corals in any way is very dear to us and we love to support them.   

 NDS:  Yes, things were very different 20 years ago. Well, it's just so natural, right? When you go to the beach and you see women - all of us - in swimsuits, we all have different body shapes and we all come from different places, different origins. I just thought that it's very important to present that on the runway as well. So, it does not feel like what it was 20 years ago when the models were size zero, and those that wore larger sizes rarely got booked. We live in a different world and we should really embrace and celebrate inclusivity and diversity. So that's what we started doing many years ago. It was just very organic. Like, it was not said one day, 'Oh, you know, we have to work on plus-sized models for the runway show'. It was not pushed in any artificial way. We're just kind of embracing what is organically happening and reshaping the platform to be what it is now. I think that's also very important because we live in a fast-changing world. And if you very strictly stick to a certain format, inevitably your event will die. So, I think just kind of leaving it open for the whole industry to shape it up for what it needs to be is the right answer. 

NDS:  Wow, there are so many. It's been 20 years of Miami Swim Week, and there have been a lot of designers,  for example, Acacia which was founded by Naomi Newirth, is a brand that is based in Maui Hawaii, and we love it. It's just so Hawaiian and just gives you that serenity when you look at their whole collection. We started doing shows with Acacia when they launched over 10 years ago, and I remember it was a small show at Soho Beach House and they have been coming back every year and are now this big trendsetting brand in the industry right now. Every year their show is a highlight of Swim Week. So, Acacia is definitely one of them. 

NDS:  We will also offer a panel discussion that will be focusing on how to drive revenue growth within your brand.  We will have Eloise Monaghan, the investor and serial entrepreneur on that panel. She sold her retail empire Honey Birdette to Playboy for $440 million. She is an expert in the industry, and she will be educating attendees on how to grow their brand. I would love for this panel talk to maybe even develop into something that is more than that over time. So certain brands will have the ability to come and present their brands to investors during Summer Fashion Summit and pick up funding for their brands.