USC students model, assist up-and-coming designers on fifth annual event’s runway
Charleston Magazine hosted the fifth annual Charleston Fashion Week, transforming the city into a hub of local fashion and designers, Monday through Saturday of last week.
The week, like in years past, featured the Emerging Designer competition and was judged by a panel of industry heavy hitters like Derek Blasberg, Fern Mallis, Alexis Maybank, Cynthia Rowley and Anne Slowey.
Sixteen designers, up from last year’s eight and whittled down from a pool of over 190 designers from the entire East Coast, showed eight looks over the span of four nights. The winner of the competition was set to receive a prize package valued at over $35,000, including a $5,000 cash prize as well as a $20,000 website.
Charlotte Hess, based out of Philadelphia, won the competition with her 12-look knitwear collection that featured tribal and ethnic motifs.
“Charlotte Hess’s collection was one of the most cohesive and smart. Her approach to knits was both innovative and marketable,” fourth-year fashion merchandising student Tomás Glenn said.
Glenn, a fashion correspondent for WLTX News 19, was one of the many USC students to attend fashion week.
The week proved to be more than just a platform for designers, though, with much of the local industry getting involved. Students like second-year retailing student Laura Fielden modeled the designs that were presented.
“It was my third year, so I definitely already had experience, but being backstage with people I knew was fun,” Fielden said. “Seeing it over the years, you can definitely tell how much [fashion week] has grown.”
Fielden walked for Jamie Lin Snider, Troubadour, Hampden Clothing, Cavortress, Sucker Jeans and Ladaska Mechelle.
Fourth-year English student Cori Hanky covered the event as a correspondent for local blog The Shop Tart and also shot for the Garnet & Black Style Facebook page.
“Charleston Fashion Week was an amazing opportunity for me, not only because I got a chance to see beautiful clothing and take pictures of beautiful people, but also because it’s a small enough environment that I actually got to know some of the faces behind the fashion,” Hanky said.
Fourth-year fashion merchandising student Logan Phillips worked the event from behind the stage. On the night of the finale, Phillips was assigned as David Yoo’s assistant. Yoo is the most recent winner of the Elle Fashion Next Award and currently works with Marc Jacobs.
“It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done,” Phillips said of the experience. “I consider myself really lucky to have done that.”
Phillips went on to say the opportunity gave her the chance to network with influential people in the industry and even possible future employers. Regarding fashion week as a whole, Phillips said Charleston’s reach extends beyond city limits and will only grow in future years.
“I don’t think it’s just for Charleston. There have been some Columbia designers [who] have gone, and I think there could be more in the future. It’s going to be huge. It already is huge,” Phillips said.
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