destination: miami by COTERIE welcomed brands and buyers in Miami earlier this month and marked a triumphant return to in-person events. Courtney Bradarich, VP of Contemporary Women’s for PROJECT and COTERIE Informa Markets Fashion tells The Daily about some of the highlights, what they did to make this an extra special experience for guests, and what you can expect when COTERIE returns to the Javits Center in September.
What were the highlights of Miami?
We had a truly incredible showing of both domestic and international brands and retailers at this season’s event. destination: miami by COTERIE brought forward a mix of swimwear, resortwear, footwear, accessories, fragrance and beauty brands, with notables including: Adriana Pappas, Azulu, Butik Showroom, Cala de La Cruz, Californians, Dos Gardenias, Edite Showroom, Electric Picks, Fiftytwo Showroom, Haight., House of Zalo, Jessie Caballero, La Gotta, Matdalee Studio, Najash, Nannacay, Paola Barnardi, Raissa and St. Dom. At PROJECT Miami, the contemporary men’s and select women’s market event, notable brands representing streetwear, activewear, denim, footwear and accessories included Aspeto, Bravian, Champion, Eden Park Paris, Nike Swim, Original Penguin, Paraboot, Propaganda Agency, Robert Barakett, Saucony, Stetson & Dobbs and Stitch Note, along with newcomers such as 7TH HVN, Chris Pyrate and Friends, Dead. Than. Cool., Honor the Gift, and James Bark. PROJECT Miami also hosted a variety of custom onsite activations and giveaways. Exclusively available at the Miami event, Champion featured custom spray art designed t-shirts, in collaboration with a Miami-based artist, while Sprayground – an accessories and backpack brand – hosted a celebrity gifting suite.
commercial captured at , Miami, CA, USA on 10 Jul 2021
In addition to the bustling activity on the show floor, guests of the event were also treated to various onsite daytime experiences, all around the theme of wellness. We had morning yoga, daily meditations and expert-led sessions on topics surrounding wellness. Our brands and retailers participated in daily seminars where they learned about energy cleansing, gua sha massage and the power of mindfulness. We really wanted to create a nice experience for our guests – they deserve it after this past year! The first day of the show was punctuated by a lively rooftop cocktail party where brands, buyers, influencers, and press from both events joined together in celebration, overlooking the ocean at Eden Roc’s Spa Terrace.
Who was there?
Over three days, the events overall drew an international retail audience including 30% new buyers and a significant showing of buyers from Southern regions within the US. Key retailers shopping destination: miami by COTERIE included buyers from Revolve, Anthropologie, Carbon 38, Intermix, Cheval Blanc St-Barth, Everything But Water, Hemline, Mandarin Oriental, Penelope T, Sunni Spencer, Four Seasons, Atlantis Resorts, W Hotels, and Wright’s. Over half of the buyers in attendance were from boutiques, in addition to strong representation from specialty, chain and department stores. The event also drew a notable group of online retailers – close to 20% of total purchasing retailers in attendance at the event. Notable retailers that shopped PROJECT Miami includes buyers from A Ma Maniere, DTLR, Likelihood, The Social Status, Verishop, Huckberry, American Rag, Macy’s, Moda 404, Ritz Carlton, A Ma Maniere, Asphalt NYC, and Wish Atlanta. Also of note, despite continued travel restrictions, 10% of the attending retailers were international, which is a great indicator of the growing global return to US events. With a collective audience of both new and returning brands and buyers, the events generated expanded commerce and business opportunities with new vendors, sourcing of new products, and opening of new accounts in key markets – all of which were deeply beneficial for the community at such an important buying season, in addition to a great lead in for our August and September keystone events.
Courtesy COTERIE
What was the overall feel and vibe of the live events in Miami? Did the show feel like “the old days?”
The highly anticipated return to our in-person events, coupled with the overall energy in Miami during Swim Week and in such an incredible destination location, really lent itself to a truly unique event experience with palatable excitement both on and off the show floor. There was such a deep appreciation for experiencing the organic elements of an event that you just can’t plan for – the elation of running into old colleagues, walking the show floor and discovering a new collections or brands you have never heard of before. To see it in action was truly incredible. While there were elements that felt like the old days – getting back together in person, and a return to the fundamentals of how we do business that were so greatly missed over this past year, there was also a very new and different element that encompassed these events – a heightened exhilaration. Not only did I witness this within and outside the show floor, but I also received a lot of direct feedback – great anecdotal stories and comments at the event and in the days following its conclusion that really encompassed this new era of our event experience.
What were some brands’ feedback on their experience showing?
We had so much great feedback from both brands and retailers – here are just a few of the many things we heard back from the community:
“destination: miami by COTERIE has been so amazing. It’s the perfect size and everything is high-end. We have seen really high-end buyers from our niche markets. We do direct to consumer, but the best part about wholesale is you get into so many boutiques all over and then consumers buy the product and go home to order more online.” – Perry Walker Collective
“Being a new brand coming to PROJECT has been really great because we have buyers come in and they get to feel the products. When you have a new brand, you need to be able to show that to people. We are building and developing so many great relationships – we met with stores from Dallas and Peru and so many places we would never even think about going to. Now that we have done PROJECT [in Miami], our trajectory has definitely upgraded.” – Chris Pyrate and Friends
Courtesy COTERIE
What were some onsite experiences guests got to enjoy and participate in?
Knowing that our events were likely the first or one of the first times for traveling and getting out, we really focused all our onsite experiences on wellness, mindfulness and really being in the moment in order to maximize their time back together with the community. Eden Roc is a spectacular, destination resort, so we took advantage of the zen-like outdoor setting. Guests enjoyed expert-led morning yoga and Zumba classes overlooking the ocean, as well as meditation sessions, Gua Sha massage, and life coaching sessions.
What did the show prepare you for returning to the Javits in September?
As the connector of the industry, the success of our Miami events really prepared COTERIE’s return to the Javits in bringing even more of these meaningful opportunities – through both onsite experiences as well as the on the show floor – to the communities we serve. The industry can expect a full return of our keystone events with amazing brands, leading retailers, engaging education sessions and really unique onsite experiences that bring the community even closer together. This is part of our promise and ongoing commitment to the community in 2021 and beyond.
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