The Blogger Union has partnered with CreativeMornings/Miami for a collaborative storytelling marathon. Tune in to read the story of our city told by local creatives, bloggers and entrepreneurs. Each week, a different member of CreativeMornings will take over to post what inspires them about South Florida. Do you want to take over the CreativeMornings/Miami blog and share your take on our community? Email Paola at info@thebloggerunion and we’ll get working on it!
Miami doesn’t exactly fall in the map as a fashion capital, there’s actually a specific “Miami style” that pervades in the minds of who comes to visits that is, so to speak, not so what I have been trying to convey in these past days.
Thinking at cities like Milan, Florence, Rome, London, New York and Paris where it’s always fashion, even after fashion month is over, how do we keep up with it?
First rule is “don’t follow trends, rather set them”, it’s an ambitious one, I know, and it entails a mix of creativity, curiosity and eye for the unknown, but that’s what ultimately will bring to one’s personal style instead of being prompted to buy from social media influencers.
Second, do it like the Italians (or the Parisians or New Yorkers) and get acquainted with the designers, get exposed to the collections when they are presented, few months before they are produced and shipped to the stores, that is learn how to live the life of a showroom.
The showroom is like a gallery, where the collections are showcased for a short period of time to boutique buyers, who place their orders that get fulfilled a few months along the line.
Miami is growing from the little young cousin of the big guys to a pied-a-terre for designers to launch their brands. Whether they are Italian and European brands willing to sell and expand in the Americas or Latin American designers using Miami as a platform to access the American market.
Just last week, during Miami’s chaotic swim week, I have visited three.
Visionnaires Miami is the traditional formula, a refined multibrand fashion operator. A bit over 40 of (mainly) Made in Italy collections of man and woman ready to wear, hats, furs, jewelry, shoes and handbags are on display for a month in Wynwood, buyers came, got acquainted to new brands, chose, ordered what they they deemed appropriate for their clientele and they will receive them in time for Thanksgiving.
POOL Lab in Coral Gables is a slightly different formula that includes retail and wholesale under the same roof. Beatriz, the founder, a dynamic and chic entrepreneur, combined her retail experience with the relationship with the designers to cover a double role as a retailer and distributor. There’s nothing more pleasing than walking in a store impeccably styled that welcomes you with telling you a story, dress by dress, shoe after shoe, and draws you in a dreamy world of chiffon and silks.
The third case was an event that Pro Colombia organized at District 900, a shared workspace with killer views of Biscayne Boulevard. This was a one-day kermesse of media, bloggers and buyers gathered for a short showcase and an engaging Q&A meant to promote craftsmanship and talents from Colombia. You can just imagine the pleasure of having Wayuu bags, sustainable brands and the famous Colombian swimwear all under the same roof. According to Andrea Lopez, Marketing Director of Pro Colombia, “events like these are the best formula to access the right channels and promote craftsmanship.”
Once again, Miami is a receptive basin where cultures, habits, creativity, arts meet and coexist to the delight of the many. Mingling of designers, their inspirations, the first sample sales have started timidly to bring the buzz alive from the magazines. Hopefully the rhythms will keep up. On this wave-length, stay tuned as Miami Dade College is about to inaugurate the Miami Fashion Institute, the first program to offer a degree in fashion design and merchandizing.
About Francesca Belluomini
Francesca is a fashion writer, brand consultant and a style buff. Born and raised in Tuscany, Italy, she has been living in Miami long enough not to blink at peacocks crossing the street, yet, too Italian for an American, too American for any Italian.
Her book “The Cheat Sheet of Italian Style” (September 2016) spells the secrets of dressing the Italian way, the quintessential seal of being pulled together with insouciant elegance. Because Italian style goes beyond frontiers and encompasses all facets of life, she believes anyone can achieve it regardless of age or location, and she’ll convince you too.
Meanwhile, you can head over to chicFB.com to read her cogitations on fashion and style.
In addition, Francesca is a contributor for Social Miami with a column called Style Encounter and a featured-to-be author at Trusted Clothes
Everything else happens on her Instagram profile.
