Charleston Fashion Week Accepting Applications for 2013 Emerging Designer Competition

Competition Offers Exposure, Experience, and a Career Jump-Start for Emerging Designers

CHARLESTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charleston Fashion Week^® (CFW) is accepting applications for 2013’s Emerging Designer Competition: East (EDC:E), to be held March 19-23. Throughout CFW’s six-year history, in conjunction with the EDC:E, it has grown to be one of the nation’s premier fashion events and is widely considered a roadmap to career success in fashion.

“I see CFW as an off-Broadway debut, where designers can gain experience and produce a great show before debuting their collections in bigger markets.”

Former Charleston Fashion Week^®/EDC:E competitors and their collections have progressed to:

• Mercedes-Benz NY Fashion Week
• Women’s Wear Daily, VOGUE, Teen VOGUE, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, ELLE, SHAPE, Marie Claire, New York magazines
• ELLE.com, DailyCandy.com, Stylesight.com
• Project Runway, E! News, Fashion Star
• BARNEY’S New York, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Etsy, W Hotel Group, and ShopBop.com

Fern Mallis, founder of New York Fashion Week, says of the EDC:E, “I see CFW as an off-Broadway debut, where designers can gain experience and produce a great show before debuting their collections in bigger markets.”

CFW’s aspiring designers gain exposure and insights from top industry leaders in addition to producing a professional runway show. In recent years, CFW’s Fashion Panel judges and guests have included ELLE magazine’s Anne Slowey and Fern Mallis, along with Chris Benz, Cynthia Rowley, Janie Bryant, Cameron Silver, Derek Blasberg, Vanessa Lachey, K. Cooper Ray, and Mychael Knight, among others.

CFW requires a complete online application by October 10 to be eligible to compete for the grand prize valued at over $30K. Aspiring designers interested in Charleston Fashion Week^®’s 2013 Emerging Designer Competition: East can apply, view rules and regulations, read success stories, see prizing details, and learn more at www.charlestonfashionweek.com.

About Charleston Fashion Week^®

Showcasing fashion designers, retailers, and models, Charleston Fashion Week^® has fast become one of the premier fashion weeks in North America. Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, this multimedia event presents high-end runway shows, interactive entertainment, chic after-parties, and press events. The 2012 event held under the tents in Marion Square in Charleston, SC, featured more than 45 runway shows, the Spring Bridal Show, Emerging Designer Competition: East, and Rock the Runway Model Competition™. Charleston Fashion Week^® 2013 is scheduled for March 19-23. For more information, visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com.