There are people who you could look at and you might think, “They should be a model.” It’s usually a snap judgment about their look, their poise, their aura. There’s the “it” factor that can be hit upon simply with a glance.
Evita Scoccia certainly has that. But it’s what is inside that makes her positively transcendent.
Most people in their mid-twenties aren’t willing to take on as much – or as driven to persevere – as Evita. She has a full-time job as an event planner, a swimsuit designer, founder of New York Swim Week, and, yes, a model.
It’s not a bad list of accomplishments for a young woman from a small town near Pittsburgh who had no intention of heading to New York. But Evita has never been one to stop at “not bad.” Can’t is simply not in her lexicon.
In fact, one of her main motivations throughout has been to help people push past the idea of “can’t.”
New York Swim Week is her baby and swimsuit design is her passion project. Yet the underlying thread is to be an influence for young women, particularly those who don’t have the correct support systems to help them maximize their potential – or their dreams.
“It’s not about having all the answers. You’re staring into the abyss, but you keep hustling despite what people might think,” explains Evita. “Persistence makes the impossible possible.”
Evita launched her swimwear brand, Evita Luxury Swimwear, straight out of high school, before she ever even thought of one day attending Parsons New School in NYC. It started a chain of events that led her to the biggest stage in the world, although her humble beginnings didn’t presage where she would end up. She first unveiled her swimsuit designs at Pittsburgh Fashion Week. But New York is where some of the biggest fashion schools in the world are. It was her family who suggested that she take on that challenge if she was going to be a success. And it was their example that she followed that set the tone for her future.
“My mother is really my rock, my right hand,” she says. “She helps with the packaging of my swimwear from Pittsburgh.” Her father’s own efforts in giving back inspired her to devote a portion of her profits to charity.
It’s this commitment to a greater cause that has Evita seeking out speaking engagements. She was invited to sit in on a panel at this year’s NY Fashion Week where she once won the award for Best Petite Model. She’s had her own Times Square billboard. However, her NY legacy will likely be built away from the runway.
Before Evita, there was no New York Swim Week. It was an idea that came to her simply considering her apartment’s pool. Soon, she took her trademarked concept and built it into an annual event, now poised to host its fourth show in July of 2024. She took it all on entirely by herself, with no mentor or guide to help bring her ideas to fruition.
“I’ve always had the drive to be self-sufficient and take things on,” she says. Her experience in event planning was an advantage, while her swimsuit design life told her what was important for success. There was no blueprint to guide her, yet she’s created something that’s having a lasting, far-ranging impact.
The idea of Swim Week is now being held in cities across the country, inspired by the indomitable spirit of one small-town girl who’s conquered Manhattan.
Evita is simply someone who will upend any preconceptions you may have about models. Her beauty comes from her mind, her heart, her spirit. She’s an articulate, driven businesswoman who brightens the world simply by what she says and what she does. It’s what’s inside that makes her radiant.
Her New York Swim Week website explains her modus operandi and why it’s so important to her: “…empowerment to all female entrepreneurs to never stop the hustle until you walk into a room with everyone knowing your name.”
Evita Scoccia is special. Yet, it’s just as important to her that others know that they are, too.
Wayne Lifestyle was invited to cover 2024’s New York Fashion Week, and we were fortunate to engage with such a bona fide, down-to-earth star as Evita. For more information about her show, go to nyswimweek.com. To browse her swimwear, go to www.Evita.shop and visit her on Instagram @evitascoccia