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Industry Talk

Florence becomes swimwear capital with Maredamare

The Fortezza da Basso will host a high concentration of events, collaborations, workshops and fashion shows from 20-22 July.

16th July 2024

Knitting Industry
 |  Florence, Italy

Sports/​Activewear

Maredamare will become the world’s swimwear capital when the leading show opens its doors later this month. The Florence fair, now in its seventeenth edition, has become the international reference point for beachwear and resort wear sectors. For buyers from all over the world, it is a unique opportunity to access over two hundred and fifty collections for summer 2025, supported by trend forecasting designed to facilitate predictions and choices.

The Fortezza da Basso will host a high concentration of events, collaborations, workshops, fashion shows, and a strong desire for the sea. This year, the energy extends across Italy with the Fuordacqua off-show, featuring in-store parties dotting the peninsula, the organisers say.

"During the Immagine Italia & Co press conference in February, dedicated to lingerie and intimate apparel, we unveiled an ambitious project for this edition of Maredamare. Especially in terms of internationalisation and significant collaborations. Over the past months, we have given it our all," emphasizes Raffaella Petrossi, General Director of Underbeach-branded shows.

"And the result exceeds our expectations because we need to confirm and increase the show's scope, today a true European outpost and control tower for the sector's directions. This is where the uniqueness of the formula lies, making it indispensable for all who, like us, believe in this sector.”

“In this edition, we host over two hundred international clients and a selection of one hundred top Italian stores. With the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), we also welcome over twenty top buyers from target countries, including Kuwait, America, Lebanon, Japan, and Kazakhstan. In total, more than three hundred of the best buyers in the sector are guests of Underbeach to access the most comprehensive European overview of the sector."

"This edition marks a further step towards our future vision," explains Alessandro Legnaioli, President of Underbeach. "Expanding beyond the walls of Fortezza da Basso with our off show, which started experimentally last year and now reaches many Italian stores from Lombardy to Sicily. Also crucial are synergistic collaborations with other events to define new forms of communication in other areas of the fashion system, as we believe the future is crossover and universal. I would also like to highlight the new Blue Milano project, designed to bring beachwear and resort wear fashion shows back to Milan during fashion week, aiming to increase the visibility of a sector with a global business turnover estimated at over 30 billion dollars."

The trends, which this year take on strategic value, will be discussed in a dedicated bilingual workshop on Saturday, 20 July at 3:30pm. The trend forecasting, curated by Nello Marelli, provides visitors with a clear idea of the sector's style directions, supported by a special fair installation in collaboration with Style-3d. An interactive journey will guide guests through the discovery of the signs and symbols of summer 2025.

© Maredamare

The collective fashion shows, scheduled for Saturday at 12:30pm and Sunday at 5:00pm, will offer precise indications on the stylistic directions and innovations that will characterize summer 2025, while the individual shows of BIKINI MI.MA. SS25 on Saturday, July 20, at 5:30pm, and Iconique Spectacle on Sunday 21 July at 1:00pm, will provide a comprehensive overview of the collections.

Collaborations:

Shop Survivor

Massimiliano Alvisi, creator of Shop Survivor, will offer an engaging moment of reflection on key aspects of management and sales in the modern retail context with a dynamic and sparkling style on Sunday 21 July at 3:00pm.

Milano Fashion & Jewels

Milano Fashion & Jewels will present a selection of accessories in the beachwear and resort world: trendy and exclusive ‘total look’ for vacation. The creations of the designers from the Milano Fashion & Jewels community will feature proposals ranging from bold and vibrant color palettes to natural shades.

Milano Fashion & Jewels is also an advocate for sustainability, and with great enthusiasm, we announce that the next edition, taking place from 14-17 September  at Fiera Milano, will host the Maredamare Green Area, emphasising the importance of a greener and more responsible future.

This initiative not only highlights the importance of sustainability in fashion but also creates a unique synergy between two events sharing the same ecological vision.

Maredamare is confirmed as a sustainable fair, certified ISO 20121. In collaboration with Rete Clima, the activities related to the Maredamare event organised by Underbeach srl (such as planning, implementation, participant mobility, energy, materials, food and beverage, waste, etc.) will be analysed to quantify its carbon footprint and offset it to achieve "climate neutrality" through the purchase of shares in reforestation projects.

CNA Federmoda

WeLoveModainItaly Cruise & Resort is the name of the area where CNA Federmoda will be present with a selection of associated brands showcasing their creations in beachwear, clothing, and accessories. The partnership with CNA Federmoda continues for the XXXIV National Fashion Profession Young Designers Competition, the longest-running talent scouting event in Italy, aimed at connecting young creatives with the business world to enhance their talents.

The competition, which spans six different product areas, includes a section dedicated to lingerie and swimwear, which this year saw Underbeach as a partner in the workshop and nomination phases, culminating in the awards ceremony on 5 July, attended by Alessandro Legnaioli, President of Underbeach, who presented the Intimate and Resortwear Section award to Asia Leccese.

The finalists in the category: Sofia Bertogalli, Sofia Censoni, Giorgia Demagistris, Asia Leccese and Eleonora Zurru, will be featured in the Back To The Future 2025 fashion show, scheduled for Saturday, 20 July at 3:00pm in the Maredamare Fashion Show Area.

Also present at the fair is Italian Lingerie Export (ILE), which promotes the typical Italian savoir-faire through the collections of its members.

MarediModa will narrate the journey of the leading European fabric companies towards global excellence through an installation and will present ideas for summer 2026 with a tactile panel from a selection of companies.

Fuordacqua - The Off-Show of Maredamare

Born in 2023 with the idea of bringing the effervescence and vitality of Maredamare outside, a sort of off-show, but above all to create a virtuous network between the fair and retail stores, Fuordacqua is growing rapidly and marking Italy with in-store events. Social moments aimed at promoting a true culture o swimwear fashion. A constellation of in-store appointments will illuminate Italy from north to south in July, culminating in Florence with Maredamare 2024 and the exclusive events organised by the fair for the evenings of Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July.

Maredamare website

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