MIAMI BEACH — In swimwear design circles, Daniel "Red" Carter is the reigning king of South Beach — and many other silver strands from Malibu to Martha's Vineyard.
Carter, 35, who hails from Southern California and trained at the Otis/Parsons School of Design, came to Miami Beach in 2003 to start up his own Red Carter collection, with financial backers who saw his potential to become a lucrative and recognized brand.
The puckish designer, who has short-cropped ginger-toned hair, thus his nickname and his brand identity, had a background in sportswear design. He worked for a number of labels, including Espirt, Guess, Victoria's Secret, Oscar de la Renta and Mossimo.
Nowadays, from his headquarters on the west side of South Beach, in the few blocks north of Lincoln Road, though featuring a crimson-colored wall to identify it as Red's lair, Carter designs collections of swimwear for men and women that have captured the attention of major retailers, including Barneys New York, Intermix, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Absolutely Suitable, the resort and swimwear shop of The Breakers.
Recently, after toiling in the relative anonymity of the swimwear design business for a half-dozen years, Carter has made a major mark.
"My big break came last February, when my suit (a printed bikini style called the Navajo) was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, worn by Heidi Klum," he said. "That was really great."
"A swimwear designer being recognized with coverage in Sports Illustrated is the equivalent of an actor receiving an Academy Award," said Carolyn Moss, swimwear specialist for The Tobe Report, the venerable Manhattan-based fashion industry and retail-trend analysis firm. "The designer has reached a pinnacle and is regarded as a major contender, someone really special."
Moss sees Carter as a swimsuit designer to reckon with. "He's setting the bar for the contemporary swim market and is innovative in terms of his attention to detail, his introduction of glamorous materials, such as lace and sequins, and his dressy take on beachwear," she said.
"I definitely could see him branching out into lingerie design or even dresses in the special occasion category."
"There are many challenges in being a swimwear designer," said Carter, on the afternoon before he presented his spring 2009 cruise collection at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami Swim shows last Saturday night. "They run the gamut from mixing and matching bodies in order to make women — and men — look great and feel confident in what they're wearing."
Carter was backed by the German automobile manufacturer as the sole "Mercedes-Benz Presents" designer during the company-sponsored event.
"Red seamlessly blends modern inspiration with traditional design elements to create his own bold, yet timeless style," said Lisa Holladay, manager, Brand Experience Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.
"The honor of being the Mercedes-Benz featured designer is a true testament to how I have grown as a designer and a reflection of an amazing team of people who have all believed in one vision: that we could bring high-end fashion to Miami Beach," said Carter.
Carter's ambitions, however, go beyond the realm of swimwear. "If I can make you look good in a swimsuit, I can make you look good in anything," he said. "We intend to expand the brand into a whole lifestyle."
The designer is taking baby steps to reach his ultimate goal of designing "everything."
With his cruise 2009 collection, which had a Roaring '20s theme, he produced tote bags and other accessories to "mix and match" with the range of women's bikinis, monokinis, maillots and cover-ups and men's square-cuts, trunks, boardshorts and racer-style suits he conjured up for the season.
He even went so far as to produce vintage-style bathing costumes, with side cutouts, for men and women.
"We always have an assortment of styles," Carter said. "But the fit and quality of the fabrics are most important to me, and, in the end, what makes our suits work."
