She just debuted her brand at Miami Swim Week thanks to a powerful hospitality class

There’s a lot that made it down the runway at Miami Swim Week 2026. Bikinis, celebrities, influencers. But the most interesting thing to take the stage was a story that began in an FIU Hospitality class four years earlier. 

Bailey Grossenbacher '23, MS '25 recently made her Miami Swim Week debut with her very own brand, Dubs Swim. A concept born from a class taught by FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism professor and entrepreneur David Grutman, where lessons of passion and authenticity resonated so deeply with this student, she took the plunge and became an entrepreneur herself. 

“It was really cool to see all the successful people he brought and how they started their journeys, and I thought ‘why not do my own,’” the Dubs Swim owner said. 

The David Grutman Experience launched in 2022 at the Chaplin School, and it was far from traditional. What other class can say it featured celebrity guests from Bad Bunny to Drake and Serena Williams? It’s the perfect format for hospitality students wanting a direct “in” to the industry, learning from some of the greatest success stories. 

Grutman (left), and guest speaker Bad Bunny at FIU.

For Grossenbacher it didn’t just inspire her; it catapulted her into a new business venture. 

“All of them had their own stories of how they became successful, each of their stories were very unique but the one common thing about all of them is that they were very themselves, and passionate about what they do and authentic in what they do, and he [David Grutman] would preach that in all his classes,” she said.

Originally from Englewood, Florida, Grossenbacher was always drawn to the beach, artwork and larger-than-life events. “I realized that I loved all the cool events that Miami has and I asked myself, ‘how can I be a part of this?’”  

That question and a spot on the softball team led her to FIU. Juggling her hospitality management degree and being a student-athlete was a challenge. Grossenbacher recounts the time where she was working at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival® and had a softball game the very next day. But as the young entrepreneur puts it, “busy people get things done.”

Bailey Grossenbacher

When she graduated from FIU, her dream was to work for a well-known surf and lifestyle apparel brand, but when she never heard back, she stopped switched gears. 

From the alumna’s own hands, Dubs Swim was born, a team of one doing all the clothing design, marketing, brand orders and website design. 

But one constant was the role her classes played along the way. “I did my master's in marketing at FIU, and every single assignment went towards building my brand,” she said. 

That hard work seemed to pay off because a year after graduating with her master’s, her swimsuits walked a global stage at Miami Swim Week, which welcomed more than 50,000 guests throughout the week. 

Bailey Grossenbacher (left), and one of the models featured at her show

“It felt like I was putting on a Broadway show. I’ve been working on it since last November, so finally seeing it be successful and seeing all the models having fun, it was really awesome to be a part of that,” she said. 

To make the moment even more full circle, a video posted by @fiuhospitality on Instagram, which got over 40k views, received the attention of Grossenbacher’s former professor, David Grutman. 

Grutman saw the video and reached out to the alumna requesting Dubs Swim gear. “That was so cool for me because he was always preaching in his classes about going the extra mile and remembering to do the little things and he did that with me,” she said. 

This is just the beginning for Bailey Grossenbacher and Dubs Swim. She plans to make next year’s Swim Week splash even bigger. And who knows, perhaps a potential collaboration with her inspiration could be looming near... 

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