Starting as aspiring designers, students usually dream of an education in fashion from fashion capitals such as New York, Paris, Milan, or London. While these cities promise many opportunities, too often neglected is an up-and-coming fashion destination: Miami. While studying fashion in Miami yields a set of benefits all its own, it is the perfect place for students to launch their careers with a new vision.
Discovering Miami’s Unique Fashion Culture
As a student here at Istituto Marangoni Miami, who is originally from California, studying fashion here introduced me to a unique fashion culture that is resort wear-, event-, and swimwear-driven. The eternal summer of Miami and its pulsating social life create endless inspiration. Events such as Art Basel, Miami Swim Week, and a host of music festivals make the city a playground for fashion, especially for those interested in designing for tropical and celebratory lifestyles. As my brand is mostly oriented towards the creation of garments for events and parties, Miami was an ideal place for me to learn and grow my brand. It also allowed me to connect with a larger client base in need of this style of garment.
A Fashion Playground
While students in New York or Milan are designing for the cold, Miami students are staging photo shoots on South Beach. The tropical weather and neon energy of the city foster creativity, pushing students to explore bold colors, flowing designs, and striking concepts that reflect Miami’s ambiance. In addition to Miami’s reputation of being one of the most popular destinations amongst tourists, the city has become a melting pot of global styles and influences. The strong Latin influence here blends with visitors’ tastes to create an exciting, eclectic street style. Walking through Miami’s Design District, you’ll see streetwear adapted to fit the climate, seamlessly combining swimwear and ready-to-wear fashion.
How Location Shapes Fashion
From my personal experience, while Los Angeles has its own fashion advantages, by studying fashion in Miami, I have been able to see how much land dictates how we dress. California’s desert climate infuses fashion with a laid-back, sometimes rugged aesthetic, with women often sporting cowboy boots and distressed jeans. LA womenswear espouses an even more laid-back, sometimes even masculine style. By contrast, the fashion in Miami is all about an accentuation of form-fitting silhouettes, bright colors, and striking accessories. Being able to observe these kinds of style differences between the two locations really helped me with how to design clothing appropriate for a location or event and furthered my understanding of the customer’s needs and preferences in various settings. So, if you’re a budding designer wanting to think outside the box and get out of the cold–Miami’s tropical climate, international influences, and always-on social scene would be the ideal place to start.
For students interested in resort wear, eventwear, or simply fostering a distinctive point of view inspired by diverse cultural backgrounds, Miami is a fashion education hidden gem. Not only does this place open a whole new world of design possibilities, but it also offers a direct route to connect with a diverse, global client database, making Miami the point for anyone who wants to build a brand as bright and bold as the city itself.
