Designer Spotlight: Mara Hoffman Swimwear

Mara Hoffman is the designer most in the fashion industry aspire to be. Mara Hoffman's dresses, as well as her apparel, draw much of its encouragement from nature, legend and lore, as well as many of the rich indigenous folk art stories she has studied around the planet. Part dream sequence and part anthropology, Hoffman’s vision is at once spirited, audacious, and daring. She has garnered boundless consideration among industry press, media and retailers for the originality of her designs and smart approach to print and color. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design in New York City and studied at Central Saint Martin’s College of Arts and Design in London before releasing her first ready-to-wear collection in 2000.

Hoffman’s line began under the label Circle by Mara Hoffman. The Circle label, which ran from 2000-2005 was a collection of very rare and original pieces, each one hand-dyed and batiked by Hoffman herself. The pieces were often embellished with African Ostrich egg shells to showcase fertility and prosperity. Instead of the normal runway shows, Hoffman presented these collections to the public as loosely staged performances, creating off-beat spaces featuring live musicians and using dancers as well as models. Less of a runway show and more of a performance piece.

In 2005, Circle became simply Mara Hoffman. The emphasis in this change was on evolving the collection into a sales-driven brand without losing the unique and creative identity that Hoffman had built with Circle. It was at this point that Hoffman’s extraordinary and most notable prints were born. Always designed by Mara Hoffman and her creative partner at the time, Klee VanSchoonhoven, these bold, daring prints have been a defining progression of the collection. At this stage, the company began to grow rapidly, gaining over 200 accounts worldwide.

In 2008 Hoffman launched her very first swim collection, Mara Hoffman swimwear, which included flirtatiously fun bikinis, sexy one-pieces and dashiki cover-ups, all in Hoffman’s signature designs and colors. 2008 also marked Hoffman’s first Bryant Park runway show for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, a huge milestone in her career as a designer.

In 2009 Hoffman showed her swim collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami.

Hoffman and her close-knit team continue to evolve creatively out of their design studio in Manhattan’s flower district. Hoffman and her team create two ready-to-wear collections and two swimwear collections per year, drawing inspiration from Hoffman’s personal affinity towards world travel, nature, mythology, and magic.

The new Mara Hoffman Swimwear 2014 collection is officially here and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Mara Hoffman takes swimwear to a sophisticated, yet youthful and trendy, level of fashion. Mara Hoffman is a brand with phenomenal prints and impeccable fits. Hoffman is known for staying true to her love for ethnic themes and wildly inspirational colors. Debuting in the swimwear industry in 2009 with a reputation for signature prints, Hoffman concentrates heavily on original silk patterns to showcase her fierce level of individuality. Mara Hoffman dresses the classic woman who enjoys subtle glamour and style in their swimwear. Mara Hoffman’s 2014 collection offers plunging necklines, nature-inspired prints, impeccable design, bold colors and ethnic-inspired flare. Mara Hoffman’s love for the natural world is shown through her peacock-feather prints, tribal designs, bohemian silhouettes and animal-inspired themes. These unique prints have been a defining progression of her collections throughout time. Mara Hoffman also carries a full range of cover ups including rompers and dresses to compliment the assortment of bikinis and one-piece suits. Mara Hoffman has gained recognition amongst many celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Nelly Furtado, Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, and Drew Barrymore.

Hoffman carries the zen, peace-and-love vibe that is necessary to create her one-of-a-kind pieces. Although her bright, flowy dresses are a huge hit among the celebrity scene, Hoffman is best known for her swimwear and cover-ups. So when you're shopping for your next swimsuit, make sure you keep Hoffman's collection in mind, because very few designers can combine chic couture and trippy, proprietary prints all in one shot.