The History of Miami Swim Week: In Conversation With the Co-Founder and Creative Director, Natalija Dedic Stojanovic
P: For new eyes, and our regulars alike, can you share the birth of Paraiso and your role in its creation and development?
NS: Paraiso was born three years ago with a goal of offering a sophisticated and highly experiential marketing platform for leading swimwear and resort wear brands to activate and promote their collections. Along the way we created satellite programs to engage independent and upcoming brands as well as fashion design students.
“Beside year-round social exposure, swimwear brands have this one big chance every July to stand out and get their message across. We help them decide what experience best fits their goal, and create highly immersive and powerful activations.”
It was 2004 when we started producing runway shows during Swim Show, the trade market that has been in Miami since 1982. IMG came to Miami a year after with their platform, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim. There were a lot of designers who wanted to be more creative, engage sponsors, and do something out of the box so IMG’s tent was not working for them. We produced those individual runway shows around Miami Beach under the name of our production company, Funkshion. It helped us watch the industry, and really see what is missing.
And then, very unexpectedly, the news came out that Mercedes Benz did not renew their partnership contracts for certain IMG chapters, and Swim was one of them. They closed shop and left Miami. That year, Gregorio Hanimian from Luli Fama came to us and suggested that we take over, build the tent and establish a unified calendar that would streamline the events and make attending easier.
That is really how the story started. From there, I knew we had to do things differently. Encourage brands to be creative and stand out, expand to beyond just fashion shows into parties, music and art performances, social dinners and wellness events. All those things made us who we are today, and made people fall in love with the experience. It created a desire for them to fly to Miami, attend, have fun, and network. I had this dream in my head of how the ideal fashion festival would look like, and my team and I worked with brands and partners each year to make that into reality.
“Three years ago, we changed our name from Funkshion Swim Week to Paraiso Miami Beach. We wanted to mark the birth of our rebranded, new age platform, and emphasize the importance of opening our doors to engage the consumer.”
P: For new eyes, and our regulars alike, can you share the birth of Paraiso and your role in its creation and development?
NS: Paraiso was born three years ago with a goal of offering a sophisticated and highly experiential marketing platform for leading swimwear and resort wear brands to activate and promote their collections. Along the way we created satellite programs to engage independent and upcoming brands as well as fashion design students.
P: How has Paraiso pivoted and remained agile amidst the pandemic?
NS: I would like to say that we are very adaptable. We are lucky to be a boutique company, and all decisions are truly just few people away from happening. It was tragic to see the effect the pandemic had on people’s health, lives, but also on industries and companies. Our production business suffered tremendously. There was only one goal for us at that moment, to be there for the brands, and offer the support to tell their stories and find comfort in knowing that they are not the only ones going through these hard times. Community is everything. By talking to designers and brand representatives, and sharing the insights we learned from them during the past two months, made them feel safe and part of the family.
Paraiso for sure evolved as a result of the quarantine. The past few months we spent at home we saw as an opportunity to grow and change. I am very curious, and always think ahead and look how our platform can improve. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, and we have to constantly challenge ourselves and learn. It is the only way to adapt and move on.
The role of platforms like Paraiso are more important than ever. In these changed market conditions, the brand awareness and promotion to consumers, press and media are the best way to further the strength of your e-commerce. A successful marketing campaign is the foundation of the profitable collection. Starting this year, in addition to our in person events, we will be offering digital support in a form of distribution of visual fashion content provided by participating brands.
With the full support of the City of Miami Beach, August 20-22, 2020 we will produce a number of in person fashion shows and presentations following the strict CDC guidelines on social distancing and other methods preventing the spread of COVID-19. Sanitizing and disinfecting company Utter Clean will be contracted to keep the locations safe at all times. All swimwear enthusiasts will be able to RSVP to these events, and attend based on capacity.
“With the full support of the City of Miami Beach, August 20-22, 2020 we will produce a number of in person fashion shows and presentations following the strict CDC guidelines on social distancing and other methods preventing the spread of COVID-19.”
P: The industry at large - how do you view its response to adversity?
NS: The industry will never get back to where it was before the pandemic. The sea of brands and retailers are closing their doors, people unemployed – it is very hard to be optimistic when you look from that angle. If you are analyzing this from the global and environmental perspective, it was much needed — to slow down fashion, to change some old patterns and calendars that are not working anymore, to become more aware and more ethical in our approach. The industry will start to recognize the brands which are saving the environment, and have a higher aspiration and message. The storytelling and narrative will come to the forefront, and in some cases, become more important than the product itself. Among other things, this crash stressed out how important is for brands to be ethical and be there for their community. If you don’t have a higher goal, you shouldn’t have the front row seat.
P: What is your reformed vision for Paraiso, and how does it align with its original mission?
NS: Today, Paraiso has 360, a comprehensive marketing approach that includes trade platform in collaboration with our technology partner, theCxn. Paraiso is the place where the industry comes to network, and where brands come to promote their collections to press/media, buyers, stylists, influencers, and consumers. We wanted to envision new ways to communicate and do business, but still keeping our main role — networking and marketing. We implemented digital channels to support brands in sharing their stories and upcoming collections with a wider global community in any way they see fit.
Through Paraiso the brands can promote their collections to press/media, stylists, and consumers, but also sell to buyers using an extremely creative, and visual trade show platform.
“Today, Paraiso has 360, a comprehensive marketing approach that includes digital trade platform in collaboration with our technology partner, theCxn.”
P: Finally, what’s next? What can we look forward to?
NS: We are excited about our in person and digital event coming August 20 — 22, when we will premiere Resort 2021 collections for the swimwear and resort wear industry. It will be interesting to see what content the designers will produce, and how they will present their collections. This is a wonderful opportunity for designers to tell the story of their brand and new collection in a very creative way, without worrying about the budget. Finally, we have a marketing moment in fashion that is not about the money, but solely about the creativity. And of course, as mentioned prior, parallel with our digital event, we will produce exciting fashion experiences in Miami Beach and in a very safe way, and have some good old fashion fun.
