Miami Fashion Week

Following a two-year hiatus, the twenty-second edition of Miami Fashion Week (MFW) returned to Miami, Florida last week. Popular as the second largest fashion event in the U.S., MFW debuts the resort collections of both established and emerging international designers. This year, MFW took fashion off the catwalk and into urban hotspots, from the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens to Seaspice, Gary Nader Art Center, Frost Science Museum and a few environment-friendly locations. 

“With the pandemic showcasing the importance and necessity of sustainable fashion practices to limit supply chain disruptions and the effects of the fashion industry on the environment, Miami Fashion Week is dedicated to investing all the necessary resources into spotlighting the role of sustainability during global fashion weeks to ensure the growth and future of the industry,” the organisers explained in a statement. The week-long events combined fashion, culture, art, sustainability, technology and more — with fashion designers, industry heavyweights, celebrities and influencers in attendance at a panel on June 5th about digital fashion and Miami Fashion Week’s activations in the metaverse.

 

A new addition to this year’s designers showing at MFW, Italian luxury lifestyle brand Missoni presented its womenswear collection on June 1st at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Fashion designers Naeem Khan, Benito Santos, Angel Sanchez, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada and Rene by RR also debuted their latest resort collections. Naeem Khan, who showcased at the Frost Museum of Science in Miami, stayed within her signature style while introducing more swing and lightness; the bead-fringed cut-out minidresses were unequivocally chic astride the bias-cut sequin dresses, the floral embroidered suit which would command the boardroom and ball room and the curvy dresses featuring ribbon work and intricate beading.

While the most-awaited Missoni showing was restrained and lightened from excessive layering keeping in mind a resort vibe, at times the design aesthetic also felt reduced to a series of revealing looks. The standout looks were subtly sensual including curvaceous patchwork dresses; a long-sleeved trapeze-cut minidress and knitted trousers with a metallic finish worn with a coordinated draped top.

What was sartorially piquing was how Miami Fashion Week, usually centred around fashion designers and lavish celebrations with a foundation and charity component, shone the spotlight instead on its two pillars this year: sustainability and technology. Recognising the importance of its presence on the metaverse, Miami Fashion Week had a digital L’Atelier in Decentraland’s Luxury Fashion District, owned and developed by Metaverse Group. The virtual grand opening took place from 3 to 5 June, offering an immersive experience featuring fashion shows, catwalks, avatar models, and gave attendees direct links to purchase virtual goods via marketplace for quick seamless transactions.