Rainnie Marketing

Model Cecilia in Vitamin A's Slate colorway Tulum top and Bottom

I thought I would share some photos from our event last week during the Know Show. On Friday August 10th RMI put on a swim runway show in downtown Vancouver for our customers, buyers and store managers. It was part of the Opus Hotel's summer street party which is one of the biggest VIP events in downtown vancouver each summer.

Crowd at the Opus Hotel

The hotel closes down Hamilton Street for the night and puts on an incredible party. This year the theme was Venice Beach and they asked Rainnie Marketing to help out with the entertainment and put on a show. It was a lot of pressure knowing that the crowd consisted of every A lister in Vancouver, celebrities, socialites and athletes. But I think we pulled it off! Our hosts were Fiona Forbes (from Urban Rush) and Fred Lee (Vanhattan's man about town). Our runway show kicked off the event with the Vitamin A Gold collection, we showcased all of the key groups and cover ups for the season.

Model in Vitamin A's Goldmine Crochet Romper

The models looked fantastic in the outfits. Everyone loved the silk poncho's and bright colors on stage. We made sure that the girls were all extremely tanned so it really showed off the new brights: safron, watermelon, mojito and teal solids, which all looked stunning. Thank you to Ultra Tan for doing such a great job on the skin tone.  Also we wanted to create that beachy look with the girls hair and all of the girls spent a considerable amount of time in the salon getting prepped for the event. Thank you to IS Salon in Yaletown and Stilla makeup crew for their incredible work!  For intermission we had the Faculty Hip Hop group perform. http://youtu.be/DcysVeuuLjA They are truly one of the best dance crews in Vancouver and they put on an amazing show. We thought it was important to give the girls in the audience a little eye candy :)

Model in Maaji Cover Up and Andrew Allen

Speaking of which, starting off the second set of the show was Andrew Allen http://andrewallenlive.com/ It was incredibly lucky that Andrew Allen happened to be in town the week of our show and was friends with our show producer Kip Jon. Andrew offered to help us and perform live during our show. He sung to the girls as they entered the stage for the Maaji segment and the models and audience loved him! Andrew is an up and coming Pop star from the interior of BC. If you haven't seen him or heard of him you definitely will. He has just finished recording with Carly Ray Jepson and is constantly performing around Canada. If you have the opportunity, go and see him live, he is amazing.

Maaji Swimwear and the beachball fun grand finale!

The Maaji runway show was a great end to the night, the girls were adorable and looked so fun and cute in the beautiful print mixed suits. One of the girls came out in a suit I didn't recognize at first until she told me after the show that she decided to wear her's inside out because she loved the reverse print so much!

Maaji looked gorgeous on the runway!

Our show ended with the girls throwing beach balls out into the crowd and dancing on stage with Andrew. It was an incredible night and an incredible show. The RMI team worked hard to pull it off during our crazy Know Show week schedule but it was worth all of the organization and lack of sleep.We had a film crew on hand to capture the show and we will be sending out a video very soon. There were plenty of film crews and photographers at the event and many more photos on line.

All of the Models all wearing Maaji Swimwear

We did get some great press out of the event and it helped that the entire cast of the Real Housewives of Vancouver were on hand and front row for the show.

Jodie from the Real Housewives of Vancouver

Ronnie and Mary from the Real Housewives of Vancouver

Hopefully the photos give you an idea of how excited we are about our Spring 2013 collections. Maaji and Vitamin A have never looked stronger and I think the entire female audience at the Opus that night will be shopping for these lines this Spring.

See the full album on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainniemarketing/sets/72157631101019094/

Model from the Lisa Blue Booth

Miami swim show is coming to a close, another great year of inspiring collections were showcased by the best brands and designers in the swimwear world. It was exciting to see the range of lines offered this year.

There has been alot of talk over the past year about sizing and fitting the needs of a changing female consumer in the fashion and swim industry. Sizing for women in swimwear is especially difficult as there is no such thing as a perfect size 10 top and bottom. The move to separates has given us a better opportunity to buy a different size top and bottom but there are still alot of women out there who have little choice available in finding the right one piece or two piece to fit a size E to F chest. This year it was great to see that some of our brands are now catering to more than the perfect junior fit. And there are some new emerging brands coming on the market that are designed specifically for the "curvy" girl.

Sorella Booth in Miami

We were introduced to Sorella swim several months ago and fell in love with owner Jessica Peterson's ability to give the plus size girl something sexy, classy and uterly beautiful to wear to the pool or beach. Jessica by the way is about a size 2 but was inspired to create a line of swimwear for her best friend who is a plus size consumer.

Beautiful Sorella One Piece and Cover Up

Sorella had a small booth at the show this year and it was packed hour upon hour with buyers who were tired of the matronly styles normally associated with plus size. Everyone was excited about the way that Sorella has designed something that is truly sexy and that does not restrict a larger women's shape, but instead really accents her curves and her silhoute.

Stunning Gold 1pc from Sorella's 2013 Collection

As a swimwear agency we are also excited to be able to offer something completely dedicated to this girl. The media seems to also love Sorella, they have been featured in Oprah magazine, People Style Watch, More, Essence Magazine, and The Racheal Ray show - all in the past few months.

Sorella in MORE Magazine

While I was in the booth on Tuesday there was an urgent call from the Oprah people needing more suits overnighted to them!

Cole of California will also be offering a price point plus size line to their collection for 2013. It is a small collection but they have taken some of the best prints and bodies from their line and developed a more supportive option for a bigger size range at a very affordable price.

Inspiration Board for Anne Cole Control Collection

Anne Cole has also looked at the needs of the "not so perfect", in other words average customer and come up with an Anne Cole Control collection. We spent time with their new designer - Ricky - who was happy to speak with our clients about his past experience in the lingerie world and how he has translated the corset idea into swimwear without a constricting corset feel. How is that possible you might ask? With a unique designed collection of swimwear that has engineered control panneling throughout each suit. In other words the power pannels are not continuous - they are strategically placed to control in the sections that need control and there is mesh relaxed sections where you need it. The result is a spanx style secure look that will take inches off your waistline but also allow you to move, breath, and enjoy yourself while looking super slim and trim.

Our range of lines has really expanded for 2013. We can now truly say that we are able to offer a suit for each and every women that is out there. And we can give her something that will make her feel confident and sexy no matter what!

Miami is coming to a close but our season is just beginning. Exciting times as we head into Know Show, the Midwest Show, Trends and Profile. See you soon!

Vitamin A Runway Model Desta in Vitamin A Silver

It's a good thing we are in Miami for a trade show, the weather has been nothing but thunder showers and rain storms. Inside the convention center the show is rocking. It has been the busiest Miami swim show I have seen in 10 years.  We have had a ton of Canadian accounts in our booths and everyone seems to be excited about our lines for 2013. It is hard not to be excited about some of the new and amazing brands we are going to be bringing to Canada.

Maaji Booth at Miami Swim Show

Maaji from Colombia has had their little beach cabana booth completely jam packed the entire show. Everyone is dying to get in to the booth and see what the talk is about and once they are in, they fall in love.

Maaji Makes amazing Swimwear, Lingerie and Accessories!

The direction of the line for this year is inspired by a whimsical and fun fairytale about a mystical adventure to a magical port. A place where there are dancing cats and chanting lobsters.  On the way there is a feast of marzipan seashells and cotton ball milkshakes, and the sand is made of white sugar. There are flying teaspoons, leaping toucans and a blizzard of swirling bows. This should give you an idea of how creative the collection is. All of the prints are gorgeous and inspired by this amazing story.

Maaji Booth Model

The suits are so incredibly detailed that they actually have a very hard time finding factories to work with them because they are so intricate. One top might have 20 different pieces that need to be sewn together. The print mixing is unbelievable and the give back program is really inspiring. For every Maaji suit that is sold the company plants a tree on behalf of the customer. We have now planted over 20,000 trees and I am sure we will be in the 100's of thousands by the end of this Spring.

Lisa Blue Booth in Miami

Lisa Blue is another new line that we are going to be carrying. This collection is from Australia and the owner - Lisa was inspired to create her line in an effort to save the whales. Proceeds from her sales go to the Australian Whale Conservation Society as well as 100% profit from the sales of her charmed bracelets. I have had the chance to get to know her in the booth today and she is an incredible person. Her runway show on Thursday night was the talk of the town and featured Katrina Smirnoff from Dancing with the stars. Brook Burke and husband were in the audience as well. They are big supporters of the brand and Lisa's mission. We are excited to be representing the line, it is really unique, sexy and fun. There are some great new designs coming out of Australia and we are really excited about the potential of Lisa Blue in Canada.

More show news and photos to come. On the celebrity front our model was out last night at one of the after parties with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, we just missed seeing Lil' John at the Fountain Blue where he allegedly started a fight in the bar and Nick Cannon (Mariah Carey's husband) was the DJ at the Oakley party, which by the way was the party of the show.

Vitamin A Runway Model Desta in the new Saffron Color from Vitamin A Gold Collection

Stay tuned for more Miami swim adventures.

Vitamin A on the Mercedez Benz Runway

Friday night was the opening of Miami Swim week and what better way to open the show than with an incredible runway show at the Mercedes Benz tent put on by Vitamin A.

Stunning new Coverups for 2013

The Spring 2013 Gold collection received a standing ovation for its stunning color, design and patterns.

The models were incredible

The models were absolutely gorgeous and seemed to shimmer as they glided down the runway in head turning, jaw dropping bikini's by Amahlia Stevens. The collection was absolutely breath taking.

All the Models in beautiful silk ponchos

Amahlia has gone to a new level with her beautiful fitting swimwear, most of the suits were complimented by gorgeous silk ponchos, skirts, shorts and scarves.

Amahlia - Designer and Founder Amahlia Stevens receiving applause

The tent was buzzing with a great sexy miami vibe and the crowd seemed mesmerized by the show. The entire Canada rep team was on hand as were some of our key accounts in Canada.

Canada Vitamin A team: Stephanie Gareri, Jen Rainnie, Rachelle Pollock and Julie Bertrand

Dorothy and Maggie from Offshores, Edmonton with Amahlia Stevens

The booth has been jam packed this weekend with new and old admirers of the brand and we are definately rocking the Miami show! More updates and photos from the show to come!

I have just returned from the Roxy Spring sales meeting last week. Just enough time to unpack, do some laundry, get a pedicure and repack for Miami Swim which starts this Saturday! I thought I would share some fun photos of the trip. I have posted some great shop tour photos on our Facebook page as well. It is always so great to spend a few days visiting the store in Orange County to see what is front and centre in one of the hottest swim territories in North America.

The Roxy meetings are always a lot of fun. We spent some time in the new office space in Huntington Beach – it is amazing. Very modern with lots of great white washed wood showrooms, an inner courtyard surrounded by trees and rocks and a great new company store right on site for rep shopping.

The collection for Spring 2013 swim is insane! The swim is completely on trend and we are showing the best cover up program we have ever offered. I don’t want to give too much away since I will be seeing many of you in Miami in a few days but there are some really great new bodies and styling this year. Crop tops are big and we have done several in different fabrics that are just adorable.

The fringe phenomenon really hit Canada this Spring/Summer and it is going to be a strong trend for 2013 as our Canadian girl is just starting to wear it. You are going to see some very cute fringe details on swim and covers this year.

Ruffles are still important for the girly girl who wants to look cute and flirty in her swimsuit. Of course we are still offering some pretty little ruffle tops and bottoms.

Conversational prints are fun – maybe not mainstream but edgy. Think toucans, pineapples and palm leafs. Tropical is back – anything with a beach and palm tree theme will be a great print for the Junior girl in 2013. And of course our junior girl is wanting more construction these days so we are expanding our offering of underwire and bustier styles for 2013.

These styles were a hit for 2012 and are looking even better for Spring. Colors are of course fun, bright and TROPICAL!

Stay tuned for daily tweets from Miami and blog updates every few days.

Jen hopped over to the Big Apple last week. Read about her trip and check out some killer pictures from it.

RMI shipped off to California in April - here are all the great details!

RMI LOVES THE BACHELOR!

Jen's fantastic Colombian Finale!

Jen's account of the Fashions Shows

The second installment of Jen's adventures in Colombia!

The first blog from Jen's trip to Colombia

Jen's last update from the Miami Swim Show!

Jen's update from the Miami Swim show on Monday

Enjoy this peek into Roxy Swim at the Miami Swim Show!

The first post keeping you informed about the Miami Swim Show!

A sneak peek into Havaianas 2012 Collection their New York Office

Check out a Sneak Peek into Anne Cole's new season.

Great tips from RMI and The Swim Journal writer Linda Cahan