The southern display of fashion is casting up-and-coming designers and models
Fashion Week is an exclusive event held in large international cities and attended by high-profile guests. These weeks serve as a ground for various high-fashion houses and designers to display their latest clothing collections to potential clients, industry media outlets and fashion enthusiasts. The largest American event of this kind is held in New York City during the fall and spring and attracts around 100,000 onlookers.
Charleston Fashion Week (CFW) is another American fashion event that takes place in Charleston, South Carolina each spring. The week showcases southern fashion design talent using regional models and hosts industry professionals each year. It takes place underneath tents in Marion Square in downtown Charleston.
The 12th Charleston Fashion week will take place March 13-17, 2018. The event is currently searching for fashion designers and models to be cast in the upcoming fashion week.
“We’re looking for new talent who will go all-out to impress our industry panelists,” Jacqueline Lawrence, production director of Charleston Fashion Week, said.
The panel of professional judges will be led by Fern Mallis, the founder of New York Fashion Week. Designers will have the chance to compete for the Emerging Fashion Designer award package, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, a $10,000 online marketing and promotional package from F22 Internet Solutions, a private lunch and mentor opportunity with an industry leader and a Featured Designer runway show and collection displayed at Charleston Fashion Week 2019.
Viviane Caravalho was the 2017 Charleston Fashion Week Emerging Designer winner. She claims the fashion week “helped launch my career further by making valuable connections.”
The lowcountry fashion event is also searching for male and female models to work shows during the week.
The casting process will take place the first week of December, and if selected, the models will attend a two-day workshop run by industry professionals in January. The selected talent will attend Go-Sees, or visits with designers, in February and will be required to be “on call” during the fashion week.
“For many, (Charleston Fashion Week) is a springboard to careers in New York or on the international stage.” said Karen Lee Grybowski.
Grybowski is a former Elite Agency modeling scout and agent and now owns Karen Lee Group scouting and consulting agency.
Models, like the designers chosen, will have an opportunity to receive a prize within their category dubbed The Agents’ Choice Top Model for the 2018 Rock the Runway Model Search. They will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a mentoring opportunity with Grybowski. They will also be eligible to be voted as the People’s Choice Winner and receive an additional $250.
Bri Temple, senior mass communication major, modeled for CFW from 2012-2014.
“Charleston Fashion Week is a big thing, so having the opportunity to walk professionally was a big deal for me,” Temple said. “I also didn’t expect to build friendships that would last as long as they have. I’m still friends with people that I met when I walked a couple years ago.”
The deadline to apply for fashion designers is Nov. 1, and the deadline for modeling applications is Nov. 13.
To apply as a designer or model, or for more information about the event, visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com.
