Stella Pardo top, Maison de Kerdoret bikini bottom | Photo by Betsy Zanjani
TRADE SHOWS
La Plage Miami Brings French Fashion to Its Boutique-Style Show
Photo Gallery
La Plage Miami Brings French Fashion to Its Boutique-Style Show
Photos by Betsy Zanjani
Launching July 14 at the Boulan South Beach with an evening opening reception, La Plage Miami continued through July 18 in the hotel’s penthouses. The curated collection of French fashion brands was presented with all the flair of Parisian couture set against the sun and sea of the location.
The mini showrooms housed 22 labels of resortwear, swimwear and accessories from France. Buyers were guided through the show by founder Marc Merklen and his team to provide a different shopping experience.
“We are the only show to bring French fashion to Miami. I wanted a different aesthetic for La Plage to honor the buyers with a truly unique setting of natural light, personal service and an atmosphere different than the traditional trade show,” explained Merklen.
Rooms were accented with fresh flowers and votive candles, and buyers were treated to chilled flutes of champagne as they walked the collections.
The emphasis was on slow fashion, focusing on handmade goods from local craftspeople and quality over quantity. Natural fibers were another trend that made a big comeback, with crochet reminiscent of the ’70s.
Maison De Kerdoret exhibited a line of crochet swimwear with one-pieces that wrapped and tied and an array of bikinis, with wholesale prices starting at $41.
Stella Pardo Paris, created by Cinthya Guerrero, paid tribute to her grandmother with a resort line made by hand in her native Peru, with retail prices starting at $145.
Camalya and Sanabay exhibited collections of hats and bags made of natural woven fibers such as raffia, straw, cotton and wool, all responsibly made. Sanabay’s bags featured crafted geometric horn chains for handles. Bucket bags started at $50 and hats at $26.
Efrat Fritz, head of fashion and lifestyle for Nikki Beach Global, said, “La Plage brought together trending, upcoming French brands. I’ll definitely be reviewing a few of the collections for our shops this season.”
