Miami Swim Week has always been about pushing the boundaries of fashion, art, and creativity, but the 2019 event was one that truly raised the bar in an entirely new way. The annual event has long showcased the creative efforts and inspired designs of both international and local fashion designers, serving as one of Miami’s most beloved and acclaimed events since 1989.
Exactly thirty years after models first walked the world-famous runways at Miami Swim Week, one talented designer made history when he combined his distinctive approach to style with a passion for cultivating inclusion in the fashion community.
Redefining the Concept of Fashion for All
Based out of Wynwood, Bo Khasamarina has long been fueled by a desire to create stylish, unique pieces that defy the traditional creative limitations of fashion. His artistic career began in design and photography, evolving as Khasamarina continued to explore his creative interests and his love for music, visual arts, art direction, and fashion design. The result was KHASAMARINA, an extraordinary clothing line that refuses to adhere to any preconceived notion of what fashion can or should be.
Using only his signature slits and knots, Khasamarina crafts each of his one-of-a-kind pieces without the use of threads, needles, machines, or measurements. His collections are completely gender-neutral and intended to appeal to a diverse range of personal styles, ages, and lifestyles. The KHASAMARINA mission is to not only reimagine the creative possibilities of fashion but also to take an all-inclusive, non-gender confirmative approach to design.
In addition to receiving international recognition for his design work, Khasamarina has also established himself as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Over the years, he’s consistently partnered with many of Miami’s LGBTQ+ organizations, working to support their efforts to move society forward towards a positive place of inclusion and acceptance.
A Groundbreaking Year at Miami Fashion Week
Khasamarina has already become known as one of Miami’s boundary-breaking designers, and he continued to demonstrate his tireless dedication to inclusion in the fashion industry at this year’s Miami Swim Week. For the first time in the history of the event, transgender models walked the runway during the KHASAMARINA show that took place at the art deco Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel in South Beach, marking an important moment in the fashion history of both Miami and the world. The swimwear show by Khasamarina was included in Strike a Pose PRIDE Night, a fitting evening for the inclusive, historic event.
The Miami designer joined a handful of other fashion trailblazers across the globe, including brands such as Marco Marco, in sparking new conversations about what it means for fashion to make efforts towards inclusion. While Khasamarina acknowledged that the fashion scene is certainly changing for the better, he wondered if it was moving quickly enough to keep pace with the world at large.
Despite his revolutionary showing at Miami Swim Week 2019, Khasamarina expressed his hope that such inclusive efforts would become less newsworthy in the future, eventually evolving to simply become the norm. He noted that the transgender community is so often forgotten in the movement towards inclusion, with Latin and black women particularly being left behind. Because of this, he sought to make the community a part of his Miami Swim Week show, breaking the mold with both transgender and androgynous models and entrusting them to bring his revolutionary fashion designs to life.
KHASAMARINA: Looking to the Future
When you consider the heart and soul of Miami, a city that has long been revered as a welcoming home for the LGBTQ+ community, it seems appropriate that such a progressive shift in fashion would be based here. With open arms and a diverse, vibrant population, the city of Miami proudly serves as the inspiration for and backdrop to the world-changing efforts of Khasamarina and other creatives.
While the future of KHASAMARINA remains to be seen, it seems certain that there are no limits that can restrain the creative possibilities ahead. Undoubtedly, the brand’s dedication to inclusion will continue to be a guiding force in both its creative efforts and global mission.