Key Takeaways:
- Collective Shows expanded its footprint at Pasea with a new resort focused ballroom and moved its runway show and after party to a restaurant space.
- New and notable exhibitors spanned swim, resort and active categories, including Farm Rio, Vitamin A, Perfect Moment and Oofos.
- Reversible solid swimwear with shimmer and texture and vintage surf styling were among the themes reps and brands pointed to on the show floor.
Collective Shows brought retailers and brands together for a few days of buying appointments and market talk late last month on an expanded footprint at Pasea, anchored by a new resort focused ballroom that gave about 30 resort brands a dedicated home.
Collective also moved and expanded its runway show and reception to The Lorea, the property’s main restaurant, buying out the space entirely for what organizers called their busiest after party to date. Buyers watched runway looks from brands including Beyond Yoga, FP Movement, Farm Rio, Eidon and Jolyn while eating sushi and tacos, and Collective Shows partnered with Lightspeed and NuOrder on an interactive booth offering demos and consultations, with the companies also serving as official runway sponsor.
New Faces on the Floor
That growth carried through the floorplan itself, which brought a wave of new and notable exhibitors spanning swim, resort and active categories.
New swim and resort brands on the floor included Farm Rio, Vitamin A, WAIMARI, Romi Basha, Sunshine Tienda, Tai Swim, Matisse, BAYE London and Demi’s Swim, while new active brands included Perfect Moment, ONZIE, NINI, WILO, Johnnie O, Haven, Geometry, Pact, Oofos and Gold Hinge.
Top retailers on hand included Backcountry, Canyon Ranch Resorts, Discovery Land Co., Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Food Pantry, FWRD/Revolve, Gone Bananas, Hansen Surf, Hyatt Hotel Corp./Miraval, Jack’s Surfboards, Londo Mondo, Luisa Via Roma, M. Fredric & Co., Maui Clothing Company, Montage International, Pacific Sunwear, Peregrine Hospitality Group, REI, Scheels All Sports Inc., Snowmass Athletic Club, Spiraledge (Everyday Yoga and Swim Outlet), Stitch Fix, The Phoenician and Tillys.
The expanded floorplan and new runway location gave the event a fresh feel, said Rachel Nobles, category manager for swim, resort and accessory at Collective Shows. “The quality of our buyers hasn’t changed, and we continue to discover new faces from growing categories like resorts, private clubs and fitness studios,” Nobles said. Collective Shows plans to return to Pasea to open 2027, Nobles said and is also eyeing a return to the East Coast, with more details to come.
A Look at Reversible Solids
Beyond the new faces on the floor, conversations with sales reps and brand leaders pointed to a handful of clear product themes for the season ahead.
Reversible solid swimwear was one of them, led in part by Marlen, a newer brand and one of the new names showing at Collective Shows this edition. Some Marlen styles come finished with shimmer and texture, according to Tandi South of TS Sales Group, who reps the line.
The brand, identifiable by its starfish logo medaliion, was started by former sales reps from Puerto Rico. The collection includes four coverage options on bottoms and four top styles, with pricing around $110 to $120 at retail for a top and bottom together and one-piece styles at $118 at retail. South said she did her homework before picking up the line, calling retailers already carrying Marlen to check performance, and was told the brand, new to market, was selling well, including at Bikini Factory in Summerland, California.
The Marlen suits feature a starfish medallion. Photo by SESO.
South also reps Malai, and the brand is having a growth year, she said. Print-driven styles and reversible solids are strong sellers, along with pieces featuring sea shell and conch shell motifs, whether worked into prints or added as suit details.
Color block styles are also selling well, along with a shimmer rib fabrication with texture and a crinkled finish, and South pointed to boho coverups as a bright spot, including a poncho with lace fringe that Free People picked up.
Tandi South with some color blocked Malai styles. Photo by SESO.
On the broader swim market, South said Hawaii faced tough weather in the spring while California had a strong February and March, calling it a great year for California overall. Florida and the mid-Atlantic were also good.
Vintage Surf Makes a Comeback
Vintage surf styling showed up across the floor as well, including in Rip Curl’s Summer ’27 collection, previewed at Collective Shows by Sommer Harris.
The line, called Archived Salt Theory, is built around a reimagining of Y2K trends alongside vintage surf references pulled from decades of the brand’s catalogs.
Key pieces include bootie length and long boardshorts, cropped rash guards, hibiscus inspired vintage florals and color block styles.
On the apparel side, a halter top and skirt pairing is a standout, along with mini dresses and baby tees. “There’s a lot of interest and excitement around vintage surf,” Harris said.
Rip Curl’s Somer Harris with a Rip Curl boardshort for women in the Archived Salt Theory line. Photo by SESO.
Coverups Have Their Moment
The coverup category was another bright spot, including for the Sand Cloud brand, which started as a beach towel company and has seen its coverup business take off, according to Brian Sanders.
The category performed well for a few years before accelerating sharply over the past 12 months, growth Sanders credited largely to TikTok, where the brand has seen gains of 800% to 900%.
Sand Cloud is now selling 500 to 1,000 coverup units a day thanks to TikTok and has a waitlist for product.
The brand is also dabbling in apparel meant to move from resort to beach to pool, and on the wholesale side, coverup sales to retailers are up 400% year over year, Sanders said.
Linda Leuthe with a Sand Cloud coverup, which are hot sellers on TikTok. Photo by SESO.
Accessories Join the Conversation
Accessories brought their own new faces to the show, including Raising Surfers, based outside Philadelphia, which showed its waterproof, tarnish free jewelry line at Collective Shows. The brand’s distribution is concentrated most heavily on the East Coast.
The collection on display included gold toned necklaces, bracelets and layered pendant charms, with coin style medallions and wave and sun motifs among the recurring design elements.
Raising Surfers also runs a private label jewelry program, developing custom designed pieces for brands, retailers, country clubs, spas and boutiques meant to reflect a client’s own brand and destination.
Raising Surfers sells water resistant, tarnish free jewelry. Photo by SESO.
Another accessories brand, Haven, drew a steady crowd at its own busy booth, where wooden bowls held hair clips shaped like starfish, coral, turtles, crabs and tropical fish in a wide color range, from cream and navy to coral, turquoise and purple.
Ocean and beach-themed Haven hairclips were popular at the show. Photo by SESO.
