Daniela Stone is still beaming from the reception her 15-piece swimwear line received at her debut at Miami Swim Week earlier this month. The four-day show featured well-known and emerging designers from more than 60 countries and had more than 30,000 attendees, tens of thousands more looking on virtually because of the pandemic.

Among the attendees were celebrities Angela Simmons, who walked; Saweetie, Purple Miami and Ty Dolla Sign, who performed.

On runway that featured celebrated international brands like Forever 21, Honey Birdette, Breezy Swimwear, Swim With Poppies, Bukie Ade and boohoo, DTS more than held its own. One of its pieces even made it into a USA Today pictorial from the event.

Not bad for an emerging brand from Jamaica.

“The show was an amazing experience for me and the brand, getting the brand out there,” Stone said, who showcased her 15-piece, all-white, hand-made line to the global audience.

“The feedback from everyone was tremendously positive. Everyone loved the concept of the all-white collection and it was received well by the audience, the virtual audience as well.”

With all the international brands on display, it would have been easy for DTS to be overlooked so it was a moment of significance that made the experience extra special for Daniela.

“Overall, everything was new for me. It’s on an international scale. When everyone realized it was a Jamaican brand that was the most heartwarming part for me. It was a moment of pride for me,” she said.

She wasn’t aware if any particular piece garnered extra attention but she did come away with a valuable lesson from the experience.

“DTS is a growing brand and amongst other swimwear designers, what I took from it is that everyone is unique in their own way. DTS can be identified both locally and internationally and what I have learnt is that don’t pay attention to what others are doing, stay focused on what you love to do and be creative in your own way, people will gravitate to it, so be original,” she said.

Going forward, Daniela would love to be a part of Miami Swim Week once again but reveals that this is just the beginning of the brand’s global growth.

“Being invited back would be an honour of course,” she said, “and finding other channels to push the brand is always our goal. So if we’re not invited back we are always looking for other ways to market the brand and make the brand better.”