I Got Into Miami Swim Week 2021 for Free: Here’s How I Did It
Ahh Miami Swim Week. It’s just about the only exciting thing to be happening during the scorching Miami heat in July. Being newly involved in the fashion industry I had to get my hands on Miami Swim Week tickets so I could feel like a real influencer in the wild, reporting on the latest swimwear trends and surrounding myself with some of the best creative minds and top notch bods South Beach has ever seen in resort/swimwear.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND…
Before I get into how I got into one of Miami’s hottest fashion shows completely for free, let me break down Swim Week for those who may not know all the details.
Miami Swim Week lasts about 5 days in various hotels and venues around the Miami Beach area with the largest and most well-known trade shows and runway shows being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The most sought out trade shows are filed under Cabana, Swim Show and Hammock. This year, for 2021, some of the most popular runway shows were held at the SLS South Beach, The Faena, on the beach somewhere behind The W Hotel (hehe) and The Miami Beach Convention Center. The most well-known production company responsible for a lot of what goes on at Miami Swim Week is Paraiso but there are others putting on great shows such as Art Hearts Fashion and DC Swim Week. Aside from the runways shows themselves, all venues will provide some sort of interactive element for it’s attendees and pop-up opportunities to further showcase other brands, and after-parties with the models, so there’s plenty to do.
Swim Glam
Swim Glam
Cioccolato Couture
I should have collected ticket prices for general attendees and VIPs, after parties and designer fees to showcase, but I didn’t, so instead I resorted to gossip lol. Take this for what it is but the fashion community is a small one and the talk around town is that these shows are ranked based in the most well-known brands showcasing down to the least well-known brands. The MBCC / Cabana / Paraiso shows are the most well-known and supposedly most expensive (word on the street is 100k to showcase your brand it’s unclear if that includes PR or promotion) to get into with brands showing at Miami Swim Week such as Oh Polly and Boo Hoo. The second best show to be attending or showcasing in is said to be DCS Swim Week. The supposed least expensive to showcase your brand (estimating $3k-$5k) is Art Hearts Fashion. These usually show newer or smaller brands so I’m not trying to discourage these shows at all. If anything, I want them to have more exposure so smaller brands have a better chance of being seen.
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I am super grateful for my experience because I believe I got the best of both worlds at Miami Swim Week. This was my first time ever attending this show. I was at the SLS all 4 days (check out my Instagram highlights for more videos and photos) and two of those days I was helping designers and the other two days I attended as Media. I’m currently enrolled in the Fashion Institute of South Florida and as a student our teachers are able to pass along volunteer opportunities for us. I was eager to gain this experience and I was luckily paired with one of the schools very own students, Olga Nikoza to help her show her collection for the very first time! It was so inspiring and thrilling to see someone STILL IN SCHOOL be able to achieve such an amazing accomplishment. I loved being backstage (for the first time ever) and assisted her with prepping her looks plus got to enjoy the show.
What I found so unique in Olga’s collection was the 3D printed flowers that she hand stitched on piece by piece. We also must take a moment to admire the entire Olga Nikoza collection being designed and produced solely by Olga. That her just be the example that dreams really do come true.
The next day I got a phone call from Olga asking me to help her friend who needed some extra hands and was showing the second night - I gladly accepted. Night number 2 I helped Fashion Designer Eliya Cioccolato and her tropical brand Cioccolato Couture and designer and that night, I was a little more hands on. Typical work for an intern but I was more than happy to get my hands dirty in be in the action. I steamed the looks, accessorized the models, helped the models get dressed and of course got some content for social media.
What I loved about this brand was the eclectic nature of their resort wear with vibrant yellows, silky smooth texture and bold palm prints. This line screams luxury tropical vacation and who doesn’t love that.
I will say my favorite designer I discovered over the course of this weekend was a brand by the name of Lia Sahara. Instagram is linked to the name go check them out and tell me if you don’t immediately fall in love with the VERSATILITY of this swimwear brand.
Okay so let’s get into how exactly I got media passes with less than 2000 followers on Instagram. I don’t know if this is common knowledge or not in the blogging community, but it worked for me so I MUST share. If you don’t want to shell out money for a fashion week ticket, as you see above can get pretty pricey, but you want to be in the loop with the hottest swim brands today and immerse yourself in the culture that is FASHION in Miami then here are a couple of options you have:
Obtain a general email or someone within the company directly from any of the above production companies and ask if they need any volunteer help. You could also DM but I think email is more professional and these companies take this shit SERIOUSLY. They may require previous fashion or event experience in order to be accepted but if you are, you are able to have a backstage experience with all of the models and designers attending.
Reach out to any of the production/marketing companies and apply as Media. If you have a blog or an Instagram account or are an influencer on social media you can be approved with Media passes for all 4 days and have exclusive access to interviews, backstage experience, after-parties and a whole lotta networking. And do me a favor, if you do get accepted as media, then follow through and create some bomb content because you’re taking the space of someone else who could have been in your shoes.
The second option is the route I took and I really have my blog to thank since my Instagram doesn’t have a lot of followers right now. I was SHOCKED when they accepted me but was pumped when they handed me a media pass for all 4 days at the SLS South Beach. For the last two days I attended as Media, got a great seat directly in front of the runway and took pictures alongside magazines and respected journalists and even came out of it with a collab with one of the brands showing.
I hope this post inspires you, whether you are new to the industry or not, to take chances even if you think they won’t happen, and enjoy this passion for fashion as you learn and continue to speak to people who know more than you do. This was such an amazing experience and I’m so grateful talented designers gave me the opportunity to work alongside them and DCS Swim Week provided me with the opportunity to attend.
