Miami Swim Week is one of the biggest fashion events in every calendar year. It provides a platform for buyers and sellers to interact. It also hosts fashion shows to showcase what is new in swimwear in order to influence global trends of the same.
Who Organizes Swimwear Shows?
IMG was the organizer of swimwear shows for a very long time. They worked hand in hand with LDJ, Funkshion, and Feinberg. IMG organized the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. However, IMG pulled out a month to the show in 2015 and has not been back since.
Effects of IMG’s Pullout
IMG’s move left participants in something of a frenzy. Until that last minute pull out, IMG had reassured participants that everything was fine and that they would be there along the way, only to turn around and abandon the show. Some who were supposed to showcase their products were hesitant to continue with the show. In fact, some major brands such as ‘We Are Handsome’ opted to sit out of the runway shows. This is because different events were scheduled for the same time but in different locations and hotels.
This meant that the attendance for each show would be significantly low compared to other years. In previous years, the major runway shows were held at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami in either one of two tents or the penthouse to avoid overlapping of the events. ‘We Are Handsome’ did not consider the move so crucial that it would hurt their bottom line. After all, most people are there for the trade shows so they would still be able to accomplish a lot.
LDJ has also worked alongside IMG for the New York Fashion Week. The organizer, alongside Feinberg and Funkshion, felt the pinch of IMG leaving and at such a crucial hour. The organizers of this fashion shows did try their best to hold the weight, and the event went off, albeit different from previous editions.
The Return of IMG
IMG was expected to return in 2016. Many were quoted expressing their hope that IMG was going to come back and that they would do it bigger and better in a way that would knock your socks off. Contrary to these reports, IMG still sat out of Miami Swim Week in 2016. However, the show was better and not filled with tension like that of the previous year because LDJ, Feinberg, and Funkshion had already put the necessary measures in place. The runway shows were more coordinated, and well l thought out.
IMG is no longer the backbone of Miami Swim Week. No one knows whether the producer will ever come back to the swim week scene. The other organizers have been able to pull their weight for the past two years, and it is expected that they will keep doing as much in days to come. Participants are also getting accustomed to IMG’s distinct lack of presence. However, swim week is more about the trade shows, and these have been largely unaffected. The fashion shows, however, will need some fine tuning as years progress.
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