Miami Swim Week

Miami Swim Week is an annual fashion week held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. The event focuses on swimwear and resort wear collections and takes place each summer, typically between late May and July. The week features runway shows, designer presentations, trade exhibitions, and brand activations across venues throughout Miami Beach and the surrounding Miami area.

History

Early years and IMG era (2003–2014)

See also: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami

Swimwear presentations in Miami were organized independently by brands and designers in hotels and beachfront venues across Miami Beach throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Among the earliest dedicated production companies was Funkshion, which launched fashion shows in Miami Beach in 2003 and added swimwear-specific programming in 2004.[1]

Also in 2004, IMG Fashion was commissioned by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring a large-scale runway platform to South Beach. The resulting event, branded Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, was centered at the Raleigh Hotel and became the week's anchor production, attracting international designers, press, and buyers.[2] During this period, concurrent swimwear trade shows also grew in prominence. SwimShow, organized by the Swimwear Association of Florida, was held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center, while newer trade events such as Cabana and Hammock launched alongside the runway calendar.[3]

IMG departure and decentralization (2015–present)

In May 2015, IMG announced it would postpone its rebranded SWIMWEEK event until 2016, following the end of Mercedes-Benz's title sponsorship. The announcement initially prompted concern that Miami Swim Week had been canceled entirely, though the trade shows and independent runway productions continued as scheduled.[4][5] Funkshion expanded from two venues to five for the July 2015 season, while LDJ Productions launched a separate event called SWIMMIAMI at additional South Beach hotels.[1]

IMG did not return to a central role in subsequent years, and Miami Swim Week evolved into a decentralized collection of independent productions held during the same period. In July 2018, Funkshion rebranded its platform as Paraiso, a multi-day fashion fair encompassing runway shows, brand activations, and music programming in the Collins Park area of South Beach.[6]

Separately, entrepreneur Moh Ducis founded DC Swim Week in Washington, D.C., in 2015 and launched Miami Swim Week – The Shows as a Miami Beach companion event in 2020.[7] By 2025, that event featured over 50 events across more than 20 satellite venues with a lineup of over 150 designers.[8] Ducis died on October 8, 2025, at the age of 46; the organization continued under new management for the 2026 season.[7][9]

By the mid-2020s, the annual calendar included multiple major production groups — Paraiso Miami Beach, Miami Swim Week – The Shows, and Art Hearts Fashion — alongside dozens of smaller events and presentations across South Beach.[10] Most in-person events were canceled or moved online during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Trademark dispute

In April 2025, DCSW Group LLC (operating as Miami Swim Week – The Shows) filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, case No. 1:25-cv-21578, against FPM Holdings LLC (d/b/a Paraiso Miami Swim Week) and Funkshion Labs LLC, alleging trademark infringement, fraudulent claims of prior use, and seeking judicial review of a February 2025 ruling by the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).[12] The TTAB ruling, issued February 27, 2025, in Cancellation No. 92081190, had ordered the cancellation of DCSW Group's registration No. 6,914,634 for the mark "Miami Swim Week" (registered November 29, 2022, on the Supplemental Register), finding a likelihood of consumer confusion with Funkshion Productions' common-law use of the same mark.[13][14] As of March 2026, the federal litigation remains pending and neither party holds a granted federal trademark registration for the phrase "Miami Swim Week"; Funkshion Productions' own application for the mark remains pending before the USPTO.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Evans, Jonathan (July 16, 2015). "The History of Miami Swim Week". Complex. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  2. ^ "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim To Celebrate 10 Years This July". Fashion Week Daily. June 12, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ^ Vingan Klein, Alyssa (June 18, 2015). "Miami Swim Week Will Go on Without IMG". Fashionista. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  4. ^ "Miami's Fashion Week Swim Is Going on Hiatus". Fashionista. May 11, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  5. ^ "Miami Swim Was a Lesson in Why Fashion Weeks Need an Organizer". Fashionista. July 21, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  6. ^ Riviere, Lori (2018). "How to Get Your Brand Involved in Miami Swim Week". PR Couture. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Moh Ducis, Founder and CEO of DC Swim Week Group, Dies at 46". Women's Wear Daily. October 16, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  8. ^ "Miami Swim Week – The Shows Focuses on Fashion, Sustainability and Social Impact". Women's Wear Daily. April 18, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  9. ^ "Miami Swim Week – The Shows Takes Place in May at Mondrian South Beach". Women's Wear Daily. March 4, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  10. ^ "Miami Swim Week Guide". Miami New Times. 2024.
  11. ^ "Paraiso Miami Beach Launches Digital Swim Week and Trade Show Platform". www.wrcbtv.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Miami Swim Week — The Shows Takes Legal Action to Protect Miami Swim Week Trademark". Women's Wear Daily. April 7, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  13. ^ "TTAB Opinion, Cancellation No. 92081190, Funkshion Productions v. DCSW Group" (PDF). United States Patent and Trademark Office. February 27, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  14. ^ "Paraiso Miami Swim Week Secures Legal Trademark Victory for Rights to 'Miami Swim Week' Name". Women's Wear Daily. April 3, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  15. ^ "Paraiso Miami Swim Week secures 'victory' in trademark dispute over event name". FashionUnited. March 27, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  16. ^ "Legal battle over 'Miami Swim Week' name escalates". CMW. June 2, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
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