Sports Illustrated Swim Show Struts

Miami Swim Week Sizzles on the Catwalk

By Hailey Bethke

Welcome to Miami! Earlier this summer, a few members of the VIE team—Jordan Staggs, Kelly Curry, and Hailey Bethke—explored the Magic City just in time for the twentieth anniversary of Miami Swim Week. We entered the PARAISO Tent at Collins Park each evening for exceptional runway shows from some of the industry’s most established designers and promising emerging talents. Beyond the glamour is shared camaraderie for self-expression, art, and culture. A true celebration of creativity and the power of women, this weekend in the heart of South Beach was one for the books.

One of our favorite shows was the 2025 Resort Collection by Leslie Amon, featuring flowy silhouettes, earth tones, and seashell detailing. Amon’s designs are influenced by her Egyptian and Swiss roots and inspired by the natural beauty of land and sea. As a true swimwear aficionado, she tests each piece dry and wet six months before the launch date to ensure perfection and consumer satisfaction.

SIGAL swimwear makes its runway debut at Miami Swim Week at the stunning Esmé Miami Beach Hotel. | Photo by Mark Hunter

Sinesia Karol, a Brazilian swimwear line, also launched its 2025 Resort Collection. This line aims to celebrate the beauty and diversity of the female form, encouraging women to embrace their unique qualities and strengths. The brand collaborates with three local Brazilian designers to create the prints for each season, carefully handcrafting each piece in their Brazilian factories. Sinesia Karol’s focus on women’s empowerment and providing a stable income for working mothers is genuinely inspiring. The 2025 Resort Collection features elegant, breezy silhouettes, shimmering fabrics, and tropical foliage motifs.

The Cupshe runway show featured the exclusive Cupshe x JoJo Fletcher: Soul Space Collection, designed in collaboration with Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher, the former lead on ABC’s reality television show The Bachelorette. This collection drew inspiration from nature, showcasing animal prints, rich sea-green and lilac hues, and flattering silhouettes. Designed to evoke a sense of tranquility and connection with nature, it featured a variety of styles, including one-pieces, bikinis, and cover-ups. In addition, the Cupshe Swim Week Capsule Collection and Recycled Swimwear Collections displayed vintage-inspired silhouettes and eco-friendly pieces made from repurposed water bottles, recycled nylon or polyester, and yarn waste. A total of sixty styles was showcased, with appearances by Sports Illustrated models Brooks Nader, Christen Harper, Katie Austin, Cindy Prado, and Joy Corrigan, as well as body-positive model Iskra Lawrence, bionic model Marsha Elle, and breast cancer survivor and former Victoria’s Secret model Christine Handy.

Backstage at Sinesia Karol’s runway show | Photo by Marcio Amaral/Getty Images for Sinesia Karol

The highly anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Runway Show occurred at the W Hotel in South Beach to celebrate the brand’s sixtieth anniversary. Over 1,500 influencers and VIP guests gathered around the sleek runway suspended over the ninety-two-foot-long infinity pool. The evening challenged the traditional idea that models should adhere to minimal expression and forward focus, as the models showcased a free-spirited vibe, dancing down the runway and supporting each other, exuding confidence. Notable personalities who walked the runway included digital Sports Illustrated cover star and TikTok influencer Alix Earle, social media sensation Abbie Herbert, and Sports Illustrated 2024 Rookie Xandra Pohl, alongside Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models Achieng Agutu, Brooks Nader, Camille Kostek, Christen Harper, Ellie Thumann, Hunter McGrady, Jena Sims, Kamie Crawford, Katie Austin, Lauren Chan, Nicole Williams English, and Penny Lane.

The PQ Swim runway show at the Paraiso Tent, featuring exclusive pieces from the “Tropical Retreat” Resort 2025 Collection | Photo courtesy of PQ Swim

Before each night’s runway shows, we spent our days exploring the Miami Beach Convention Center at SwimShow and Cabana, two of the most prestigious trade shows in the world for swimwear boutique buyers. We enjoyed conversing with industry experts and up-and-coming swimwear designers to learn about their inspiration and design philosophies.

One of the highlights was a trend-setting seminar featuring the fashion editor and trend forecasting specialist Kendall Becker. During the symposium, Becker discussed how the “Age of Aquarius,” a movement from the 1960s and ’70s associated with ideals of liberation and self-expression, has influenced 2024 swimwear trends. The macro trend indicates a collective shift toward mindfulness, viewing life from a softer perspective, and overall wellness. Today, swimwear designers incorporate progressive Aquarian ideals by emphasizing eclectic forms, innovative cuts, and eco-friendly fabrics. Over the last year, this trend has been evident across industries, with the rise of pilates, the proliferation of inspirational lifestyle content on social media, and a societal shift toward sustainability as a core value.

Here’s an insider tip to stay ahead of the curve in 2025: teal is trending! Regardless of your industry, we encourage you to utilize trend forecasting to harness empowered creativity. Trends aren’t about changing what you love but using culturally relevant moments in an authentic way that resonates with your audience.

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Miami Swim Week returns May 28–June 3, 2025. Be the first to know the exclusive lineup of runway shows and purchase tickets at ParaisoMiamiBeach.com.