Designers Wanted: Belk Returns with Southern Designer Showcase Competition

Southern-affiliated department store Belk has announced the return of its annual Southern Designer Showcase and Competition, which is currently open for submission by designers who embody the Belk theme of “Modern. Southern. Style.” Triumphantly in its fourth year, submitting designers will compete to have their clothes and accessories showcased in area Belk locations and Belk.com for the spring 2017 season.

“We are looking for designers who truly understand Modern. Southern. Style. and can make it come to life in their designs,” said Cynthia Washburn-Nester, Belk’s vice president of trend merchandising and fashion direction. “We are proud that every year our Southern Designer Showcase gives a new group of emerging fashion designers the opportunity to design collections that our Belk customers can embrace.”

Taking a trip down memory lane and reminiscing back to the 2013 competition, Dallas’ own Lucy Dang charted one for the win, becoming one of the first local designers to showcase her collection in the newly minted Belk Galleria Dallas location. This year, fingers and stiletto heels remain crossed, that another Dallas or Texan designer brings home the “W.”

So what’s the skinny and how does it all work?

Interested designers in women’s apparel, men’s apparel, kid’s apparel, shoes and women’s accessories can visit belk.com/southerndesigner to apply through March 31, 2016. Designers must be 18 or older and live in the South to be eligible for participation.A panel of senior Belk executives in Merchandising, Marketing and Fashion Direction will select a group of finalists by April 20, 2016, and invite them to present their designs at Belk headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 19, 2016.

The 2016 Southern Designer Showcase winners will be notified following their presentations at Belk headquarters in May. Along with a cash prize, they will have their collections sold in select Belk stores and on belk.com in spring 2017. Winning collections also may be featured in upcoming advertising campaigns. 

“We are excited to see what this year’s Southern Designer Showcase applicants have to offer and are looking forward to building relationships with our 2016 winners,” said David Zant, Belk’s president and chief merchandising officer.  

With that, we look forward and rally on our local designers in the hopes that they advance to the finals. Good luck and happy designing!