Miami’s sun-drenched beaches recently became the backdrop for fashion’s elite as they flocked to the city for the annual Miami Swim Week. This event is the ultimate stage for swimwear and resort wear, drawing celebrities, influencers, and industry professionals eager to witness the latest trends.
Each year, Miami Swim Week transforms into a bustling hub of activity, offering a plethora of runway shows, brand activations, and exclusive parties. Attendees indulge in a lavish experience, often receiving thousands of dollars in gifts as part of the festivities.
However, amidst the glamour on the catwalks last month, tensions simmered behind the scenes. Sources have revealed to the Daily Mail that backstage drama unfolded as personalities clashed, leading to a whirlwind of chaos.
One insider described the backstage environment as fraught with pettiness, citing issues such as the absence of food for models and rivalries between platforms hosting multiple shows, each eager to lure designers from one another.
Moreover, the event was not without its share of VIP guests who carried an air of self-importance. Some demanded special treatment, insisting on being recognized or escorted to their front-row seats, expecting gift bags and personalized attention.
‘And then there are always the guest lists that are not shared with those handling the RSVPs and have no idea why and how certain people get front row VIP and it’s clearly part of one of the designers’ showing.’
But A-listers aren’t just seated front row.
While large-scale production runways like Sports Illustrated brought out stars such as Alix Earle, Bethenny Frankel, Tiffany Haddish and Lizzo, smaller boutique shows also cast familiar faces on the catwalk.
Alix Earle walks the 2026 Sports Illustrated runway
The Bachelorette star Jenn Train walked the Kulani Kinis runway wearing SOJOS Eyewear
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion appeared on the catwalk for her own swimwear line
Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn opened for the White Fox’s La Tropica show at The Setai
White Fox’s La Tropica show at The Setai featured Love Island USA star JaNa Craig, Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn and NextGen’s Gia Giudice. Meanwhile, the Bachelorette’s JoJo Fletcher, Selling Sunset’s Heather Rae El Moussa and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Layla Taylor were spotted modeling in the Cupshe show.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, however, shut down Swim Week with her own label, Hot Girl Summer, when she took to the catwalk.
PR expert Timur Tugberk, who helped put on Planet Fashion TV’s runway showcase, highlighted changes on the runway as new developments in inclusion and body positivity.
‘There are all different walks of life – from Latino, Black, White, Asian, micro mini [models] to hyper voluptuous, trans men, reality stars, influencers,’ Tugberk said. ‘You can see that having the influencers walk in the show really hypes up the audience.’
While from the outside the week-long beachwear bonanza appeared to go off without a hitch, one source told the Daily Mail that the second day of Swim Week turned into a ‘nightmare’ when shows were canceled due to a torrential downpour.
‘There were some celebrities that were getting carried into venues because the rain was too deep and they didn’t want to ruin their shoes. Security guards were literally lifting them up and they were making such scenes,’ the source said.
‘It was insane and morbidly embarrassing. Some even refused to step foot in the rain and demanded to be carried by their bodyguards.’
And, in true Miami fashion, there were days of unbearable heat that no doubt left the stars wishing they could take a dip in a pool when the foldable fans didn’t quite cut it – and some in fact did.
‘Guests were dying of heat,’ the insider said. ‘Some people in the front row were tempted to take off their shoes and put their feet in the pool. It was that hot.’
Swim Week, which ran from May 27 to 31, is made possible thanks to a host of various platforms that produce runway shows and activations, as well as sponsors, whose star-studded events help ‘keep the doors open,’ Tugberk noted.
Throughout the five-day affair, celebrities visit brand pop-ups, walking away with freebies galore, such as swimsuits, sunscreen, caps and sunglasses. Some brands and public relations agencies even hosted gifting suites for their VIP guests.
‘Our gift bags at Planet Fashion TV were consumer valued at $2,000,’ said Tugberk, who owns marketing agency Designing the District.
‘We had this hair laser machine, we gave away complimentary HydraFacials from Lavish Laser Med Spa, which are a $300 value, a Michelin award-winning dinner to all of our front row people.’
Influencer Alix Earle and model Christen Goff backstage at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show
Brooks Nader (center left) and her sisters attended the Agua Bendita pop-up
Mia Calabrese went to the CLD PR Miami Swim Week Kickoff Event
Lisa Hochstein, Marysol Patton, Alexia Nepola at Patton’s beauty soiree
At the CLD PR’s Miami Swim Week Kickoff Event at Hotel Greystone, celebrities like Vanderpump Rules’ Ally Lewber and Summer House’s Mia Calabrese picked up swag from brands like Steve Madden, COLAB Dry Shampoo, TiZO Skincare and Tru Niagen.
Over at Faena Miami Beach, Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton and Founder of KYIR William Kirst hosted their own beauty soiree where guests were treated to beauty treatments by Taja Drip founded by Members Only: Palm Beach star Taja Abitbol. Guests also took home a curated gift bag worth more than $2,500 (including goodies by Borghese, Sisley Mane and Laura Gellar Beauty).
Patton, who had her hair extension line Locks & Mane on display, told the Daily Mail, ‘I’m always looking for projects and things to do and keep busy and make moolah, because you can’t just wither away and die. I don’t mind the break. It’s also a good mental break.’
While many of the freebies come from sponsored brands, platforms are also fronting ‘at least a quarter of a million dollars,’ to put on a multiple-day production.
Tugberk said, ‘If it’s just one day, you’re spending a solid $80,000 to $90,000 just to put on the production… Those LED screens, the staging, the sound, none of that is cheap.’
In Wynwood, Miami’s art district, ColombiaModa Miami – organized by Colombian fashion institute Inexmoda – took over 35,000-square-feet of space at Throw Social Miami for three days of events that brought together 37 Colombian brands and more than 2,000 attendees – a project that has grown ’60 percent’ the past two years since debuting in Swim Week.
The international showcase included a performance by singer-songwriter Drea Tomé, who appeared in Renata Lozano’s inaugural runway show, and Colombian artist Paulina B, who delivered a performance blending visual storytelling, Latin American sounds, and cultural identity during the Entreaguas x Mayor’s Office of Medellín runway.
‘Basically, we are an incubator for brands in Colombia and right now, we have shows that in Colombia have been going on for almost 39 years now,’ Sebastián Díez, the president of Inexmoda, told the Daily Mail.
In Wynwood, Miami’s art district, ColombiaModa Miami held a three-day pop-up
The pop-up was held at Throw Social Miami and featured 37 Colombian brands
‘ColombiaModa Miami for us is the opportunity to bring all these brands to showcase them and to show to buyers and consumer the work that we have done with these brands.
‘So the inspiration is basically incubation of brands, acceleration of brands, showcasing our culture, our diversity, and basically our fashion.’
He added, ‘The US is a major importer and consumer of fashion. It represents almost 14 percent of the total imports globally. So it’s a major player and it’s our number one commercial partner in terms of the exports of Colombia… Colombia right now is in a position where we can be a commercial strategic partner for the US.’
Manuela Gomez of Inexmoda told the Daily Mail that they continue to grow and help the brand soft land in the US: ‘They are already selling abroad, but we want to support them connecting with very strategic audiences here and ColombiaModa. So, this is kind of an umbrella to bring all of these brands and let them taste the market.’