Hot trends from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2014

Hotter than a heat wave, the latest swimsuit styles hit the runway as one of the largest swimwear trade shows kicked off on July 18.

For the ninth year, thousands of fashion industry buyers, editors and onlookers ventured to Miami's South Beach to view the latest styles during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim.

This year's five-day event marked the first time that customers were able to view some of the shows via livestreaming and preorder straight from the runway on swimwear retailer Everything But Water's website.

The program enables the company's buyers to get an early read on consumer reaction to the new suit styles.

"Certainly, this is the first time that we will have a customer reaction early on before we finalize the orders for the resort season on the part of an actual customer," said Sabra Krock, the company's co-owner and creative director. "We'll be able to see what they react to and what they buy."

At stake is a swimwear industry worth $4.2 billion, up 0.4 percent over last year for the period ended in May, according to data from market-research firm NPD Group. Women's sales, which declined about 0.9 percent over last year, made up the majority of this market.

Click ahead to see the newest swimwear trends for 2014.

—By CNBC's Katie Little
Published 22 July 2013

Known for her intricate bohemian prints, Hoffman presented a Southern Asia-inspired collection. Several of the models' looks incorporated complex beading and elephant images. Each one also wore a Third Eye on her forehead.

A model gets ready backstage before the Suboo show. Suboo, which began as a designer beach umbrella brand in 2007, debuted its swim line at last year's Fashion Week swim. This year, it presented a modern and futuristic collection.

Several of the looks at Agua's presentation this season included elements taken straight from the jungle, including lion, elephant and zebra designs. Created in 2003, Agua Bendita is a Colombian swimwear company that prides itself on incorporating elements made by local artisans during production.

As this year's "Mercedes-Benz presents," Hoffman was invited to debut a print design from her collection as the paint finish on the luxury automaker's E-Class Cabriolet. A Miami fashion boutique will also sell an item featuring the print.

Since its early days operating inside founder Paola Robba's garage, Poko Pano has grown into an international brand with suits featured in Vogue and Sports Illustrated. Its show this season was inspired by Brazilian culture and myths and featured crosses and bright pastels.

Nicole Di Rocco created Nicolita in 2003 to flatter, curvier figures with the company's signature Cuban-style bottoms and to blend vintage glamour with modern day silhouettes. Inspired by the film noir detective movies from the 1950s, the brand's 2014 collection's theme was "The Search for the Perfect Booty."

First launched in 2005, Aqua di Lara has two different labels: a white label that is more feminine and a black label where creative director éé features her more edgy and dominant looks. Aqua di Lara's designs can now be found in various boutiques and online retailers in more than 20 countries.

By far the sportiest collection, the swimwear and athletic apparel maker presented a collection made for more than just lounging by the pool. Several models carried surfboards and beach volleyballs and wore the brand's sunglasses.

Several of the looks at Nicolita's 2014 featured high-waisted bottoms, like these shown here.

During Dolores Cortés' 2014 swim presentation, a model hits the catwalk.

For her eponymous label's designs, which have been featured in Vogue and Sports Illustrated, Paula Hermanny draws inspiration from women world travelers, who turn heads wherever they go.

"When I'm designing, I picture that woman, who represents everything there is about style," Hermanny said. "One year, I might see her in St. Barts and I can picture what she's going to be wearing, and that image becomes the basis for my collection."

This look features an all-white one-piece with black detailing, a color combination that Everything But Water's Krock believes will be a trend on runways this resort season.

As a former swimsuit model, Beach Bunny founder and designer Angela Chittenden found that none of the suits she was asked to wear felt right.

To fill the niche for suits that were sexy and elegant, Chittenden, shown here following the presentation's final walk-through, decided to launch her own brand.

Today, the company operates a handful of its own boutiques and sells in stores around the U.S. and in several international locations, including Greece, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Launched in 1990, CM Cia.Marítima incorporates intricate lace, embroidery, crystal beading and hand-work.

Several of the brand's looks featured tops, like the one shown here, that offered additional coverage.

For Beach Bunny's 2014 collection, Chittenden experimented with a variety of styles of swimsuits and cover-ups, like the one shown here.