Applicants must first read through this FAQ thoroughly and check that they understand and will meet the requirements of each question/answer below.  Once each question/answer has been accepted, models will be directed to complete an online application in 3 easy steps:

1. Fill out and complete the application
2. Upload a head shot and a full body shot
3. Submit your application

CFW is considering models sizes 4-8 for the Spring Bridal Show.  Otherwise, there are no age restrictions or required experience for the Charleston Fashion Week^® Model Search (those models under the age of 18 must have parental/guardian permission to apply).  

Female models MUST meet the height requirement of 5’7” (without heels) and male models MUST be at least 5’10” tall to qualify. 

[NOTE: Height will be checked prior to each casting call. Models under the required height will NOT be permitted to audition at the casting call.

All models are required to submit an online application by Wednesday, September 5th 11:00 pm EST, in order to secure an audition time at the casting call. Casting calls will take place September 14-16 at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina located at 20 Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, time to be determined.

To secure an audition, models MUST submit an online application by the deadline date outlined above. Models are responsible for travel to/from Charleston and any other monetary responsibilities, including meals and lodging.

An open casting call will be held each day for models that missed the online application deadline. However, this does not guarantee you will be seen. Secured auditions are only guaranteed to those who submit an application online by the deadline listed above. Prior to the open casting, applications will be on hand for models to fill out at 2pm each day.

Models MUST come prepared to complete the application including all measurements. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and models will not be seen by CFW.

[TIP: We anticipate a high volume of models and recommend submitting your application online to secure an audition time.]

All applicants will be informed via email and/or phone at least one week prior to the casting call date if selected to attend.  The email confirmation will include: the date and location of the casting call and an assigned time to register.  

(Date and time are at the sole discretion of CFW and based on your casting selection on the application.)

[TIP: Mark your calendar in advance with the date you selected on the application to ensure your availability for a casting.]

All models are required to bring a copy of the email outlining the casting call invitation including the location, date and registration time.   

[TIP: Your wait time could be long.  We recommend you bring something to read, a snack, and bottled water.]

All models should come well groomed. Women should wear form-fitted clothing, little to no makeup, hair pulled back and you MUST have heels to walk in. Men should wear fitted pants and a fitted t-shirt, with hair brushed away from the face.    

[NOTE: Women will NOT be seen without heels and layers of clothing will NOT be allowed in the audition room. Also, all models selected at the casting call will have a head shot and full body shot photographed for the 2013 CFW model book at this time. BE PREPARED for this.]

Models selected for the model book are not guaranteed participation in a runway show. The 2013 CFW model book will be presented to all featured retailers and designers for selection. Models will be notified of final selections via email and/or phone no later than mid-January 2013.

Once you have selected a casting date that is the only date you are able to cast for. Multiple applications for multiple dates will not be accepted by CFW. However, you will still be able to apply for the 2014 Charleston Fashion Week^® Rock the Runway Model Search™.

Each model MUST attend four (4) rehearsals.  Mandatory model rehearsal dates are Saturday, January 19 and Saturday, February 23, 2013 at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and Monday, March 18, 2013 at the CFW tents in Marion Square.   Models are required to attend an additional rehearsal on the date of their choice and as determined by CFW.  Dates are as follows:

• November Rehearsal: Saturday, November 17, 2012, Embassy Suites Historic Charleston, downtown Charleston, SC (Assigned time block to be sent at a later date and at CFW's sole discretion)
• December Rehearsal: Saturday, December 1, 2012, Embassy Suites Historic Charleston, downtown Charleston, SC (Assigned time block to be sent at a later date and at CFW's sole discretion)
• February Rehearsal: Saturday, February 2, 2013, Embassy Suites Historic Charleston, downtown Charleston, SC (Assigned time block to be sent at a later date and at CFW's sole discretion)

Models not in attendance at ALL mandatory rehearsals and the additional rehearsal of their choice will immediately be disqualified from participating in the Rock the Runway Competition.

Models selected by an Emerging Designer are required to attend casting(s)/fitting(s) Saturday, January 19 – Sunday, January 20, 2013, the same weekend as the first mandatory model rehearsal.  (Exact date and time are at CFW and designer's sole discretion.  Location to be determined at a later date).   

If selected by a retail store, models are required to attend an in-store fitting February 18 – 25, 2013.  In-store fittings for child and bridal specific models will take place February 8 – 14th.   Models cast for more than one show are required to attend a fitting for each store.  Final fittings will take place as needed and are at the sole discretion of the retailer. 

Models selected by a Featured Designer are required to attend casting(s)/fitting(s) beginning Monday, March 18 – Friday, March 22, 2013 (Exact date and time are at CFW and designer's sole discretion.  Location to be determined at a later date).  

During the week of Charleston Fashion Week^® models are required to be at the tents as early as 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 19 – Saturday, March 23, 2013 for evening runway presentations and as early as 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2013 for the Spring Bridal Show.

[TIP: Mark your calendar in advance with the rehearsal and fitting dates above to ensure your availability.]

All models selected to participate in a 2013 Charleston Fashion Week^® runway show will be paid a small stipend. Models will receive a $20 stipend for each nightly and bridal show they are selected to walk in (includes Emerging Designers, Featured Designers, and Featured Retailers). For each Emerging Designer Finalist show selected to walk in (runway show to take place on Saturday, March 23rd), models will receive a $25 stipend. All models are also given a gift bag valued at more than $500 for participating. Please refer to the Mission and Prizes page in the model section of the website for details on this as well.

Charleston Fashion Week^® does not require a fee to apply. However models are responsible for any and all costs associated with castings and rehearsals, including parking fees or necessary lodging. Week of CFW, models are also responsible for their own travel to/from Charleston, lodging (see details below), transportation to/from runway tents, and meals.

If you are based outside the Charleston, South Carolina area, you are responsible for your travel to/from Charleston and lodging the week of CFW. CFW will provide out of town models with a list of hotel partners with available room blocks at a preferred rate. It is the model’s responsibility to book a hotel room or make alternative arrangements.

More than 7,000 people attended Charleston Fashion Week^® 2012, including buyers, store owners, model scouts, photographers and fashion industry professionals. Charleston Fashion Week^® attracts local, regional, and national press attention.

Charleston Fashion Week^® 2012 generated more than 49 million media impressions through the activation and support of local and national media to include reporters, bloggers, photographers, editors, and journalists. CFW 2012 press highlights included event coverage by Today.com, ELLE magazine, Post & Courier,Sophisticated Living, Fashion Wire Press, Quest magazine, New York Social Diary, etc. More than 120 credentialed media were onsite to cover and report the events of the week. To review past CFW press releases and event coverage visit the media tab of www.charlestonfashionweek.com.

Several models that graced the CFW runway have gone on to sign with some of the country's top agencies, modeled for national and international designers, and have auditioned for television shows like America's Next Top Model. 

Since her time with CFW, Christina Zapolski, signed with FORD models in NYC, has just returned from working in Miami with top designers such as Chloe and Lanvin, and walked in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2013 for Lisa Blue. Having been a part of multiple fashion weeks across the country, Christina credits CFW as “competitive with every other fashion week” and the staff for teaching her “great poise and confidence on the runway.” 

Model Gabrielle Blevins recently signed with a top ten modeling agency in NYC, Major Model Management. Already featured on their website as a “new face”, Gabrielle plans to model in New York Fashion Week then head to London, Paris, and Milan for a global fashion experience. 

Since her CFW debut and our 2012 Rock the Runway winner, Nikita (Nikki) Jansen has been overwhelmed with eager clients and positive responses! Looking to sign with IMG when she turns age 15, Nikita has been modeling nonstop and is looking forward to participating in CFW 2013.

Megan Scott has been signed in New York City by Ikon Model Management and appeared in the April 2011 issue of Seventeen magazine.

Following her stint at CFW 2010, Phoebe Guest walked at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami Beach and has signed an exclusive three-year contract with Ford Models.

Since walking in Charleston Fashion Week^® 2010, 23-year-old Molly O'Connell went on compete on CW's, America's Next Top Model. The Charleston native finished up as the runner up in the prime time show and is now in New York pursuing modeling full time.    

Since CFW 2012, Peter Clarkson has been hard at work.  Most recently he shot an ad campaign for the popular shoe designer Jeffrey Campbell, shot with Rolling Stone and Lady Gaga photographer Angus Smythe, and was featured in Korean magazine The Traveller.  Peter plans on being in New York this Fall for NY Fashion Week.  

Participating CFW models WILL NOT receive runway show tickets.  Tickets will be available for purchase in October at www.charlestonfashionweek.com.  However, all models over the age of 21 will receive one complimentary ticket to the Saturday evening Finale After-Party.

All models selected to participate in a 2013 Charleston Fashion Week^® runway show will receive the following:

• Visibility in front of fashion industry leaders and the opportunity to be discovered
• Gift bag valued at more than $500  
• Recognition on the 2013 CFW website

The model search is open to all applicants that apply for a casting call as outlined above. The Rock the Runway Competition™ which was added in 2010 to further support and showcase a community of up-and-coming model talent, and is only open to those models that are booked by a CFW designer or retail participant for a CFW runway show.

Only CFW 2013 models booked for a runway show will be eligible for the Competition. This does not guarantee a model will advance as a finalist.  Selection for the competition is based on industry criteria including runway walk, photogenic appeal, facial structure/unique attributes, commercial appeal, match with current modeling and fashion industry “look”, and professionalism. 

How the system works:  Models will be judged in three phases:

• Phase 1 – Participating CFW 2013 retailers and designers select their top two models
• Phase 2 – Models are required to attend all mandatory rehearsals where the preliminary CFW Model Panel will be judging each model's performance based upon the industry criteria listed above
• Phase 3 – Model Panel judging week of the event and night of final Competition

The Top Finalists for the Competition will be notified at a mandatory model rehearsal, specifics to be announced at a later date. Finalists then compete in the Rock the Runway Competition™ on Friday March 22, 2013 at Charleston Fashion Week^®, with the Female and Male Grand Prize Winners being announced at the end of the evening.  

Since being crowned the winner of the 2011 Rock the Runway Competition™, Ajang Majok has been signed by an agency in New York City, walked for Oscar de la Renta resort, and was featured in the Gilt Groupe's online campaign.

Female winner of the CFW 2010 Rock the Runway Competition™, Caroline DeBruhl, has since signed with IMG, the world's number one international model management firm.

Antwun Whitney, male Winner of the 2010 Competition, appeared in Charleston magazine's fashion feature in September 2010. Most recently, he was signed to an agency in New York and will be pursuing his modeling career full-time.

Chelsea Rollins landed a Top 10 finalist spot in the CFW 2010 Rock the Runway Competition™ and has since been pursuing a busy modeling career including shows during New York Fashion Week. In addition, Chelsea won a top model contest with Alice + Olivia that earned her a spot on the label's official New York Fashion Week runway and a major photo shoot.

You can contact our website director via e-mail at rory@charlestonmag.com.

You can contact the CFW model coordinator via e-mail atcfwmodelcoordinator@charlestonmag.com