Anne Slowey
ELLE magazine, Fashion News Director

Anne Slowey was named Fashion News Director of ELLE magazine in 1998. Prior to joining ELLE, Anne served as the Accessories Editor for W Magazine since 1994. In this position she was responsible for conceiving, writing, styling and editing accessory pages for the magazine, as well as WWD accessory pages. Additionally, she wrote feature stories on designers, celebrities and cultural trends and reviewed restaurants, clubs and events. Prior to W, Anne served as a freelance Producer for many runway shows and special events at KCD. Prior to KCD, she worked at Egg Magazine in the fashion and beauty marketing department from 1989 through 1990. Anne also held the titles of Director of Creative Communications at Ultima II, Revlon, Associate Beauty Editor at Vogue and Public Relations Coordinator at Prescriptives.

Anne holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University and a Bachelors in History from Notre Dame.

Cynthia Rowley
Renowned Fashion Designer

Cynthia Rowley was seven when she constructed her first dress, and as a senior at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she sold her first collection of eight pieces to a number of New Yorkʼs most prominent stores.

Over the years, the Cynthia Rowley Collection has grown beyond womenʼs wear to include accessories, beauty, baby, bicycles, active-wear, home sewing patterns and tools. The Collection is sold in better department, specialty and online stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Scoop and ShopBop.com, as well as in approximately 60 Cynthia Rowley shops around the world.

A broad range of targeted media has aided Cynthia Rowley in reaching a large national and international audience. Cynthia appears frequently on numerous TV shows including the Ê»Late Show with David Letterman,ʼ Ê»Oprah,ʼ Ê»Good Morning America,ʼ Ê»Today,ʼ Ê»The Viewʼ Ê»Entertainment Tonight,ʼ and on CNN, MTV, VH1, E! and the Style Network. She appears as a judge on Ê»Project Runwayʼ and Ê»Design Star.ʼ Editorial coverage consists of features in nearly every major magazine domestically and internationally, including Vogue, Elle, W, Harperʼs Bazaar, Glamour and the New York Times. In addition, publications such as Elle Décor, In Style, French Vogue, Harperʼs Bazaar and the New York Times frequently showcase the unique interior of Cynthiaʼs homes.

Cynthia is a bestselling author of the Swell series and has five books to date; her most recent, Slim: A Fantasy Memoir was published by Rizzoli and includes her original drawings. Cynthia is a mother to two daughters and in her free time she enjoys many death-defying adventures, including surfing, waterskiing, and scuba diving. Cynthia is an admirer of contemporary art and an avid art collector.

Mychael Knight
Celebrity Designer

German-born, Alabama-raised, and Atlanta-based designer Mychael Knight discovered his calling to the fashion industry while “watching Soul Train in his childhood home.” After graduating with a degree in apparel design and merchandising from Georgia Southern University, Mychael participated in Season Three of Bravo’s hit reality television competition Project Runway, where he won three design challenges and was referred to as the fan favorite by more than 10 million viewers. Knight’s designs have been worn by celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Keri Hilson, Kim Porter, and Queen Latifah, and his work has been featured in various print publications, including Allure, Atlanta PEACH, Upscale, Ebony, YRB, Black Enterprise, and The New York Times. He recently introduced his signature unisex fragrance, MAJK, and is currently working on his premiere Mychael Knight collection.

Elysa Lazar
Founder, S&B Reports & Lazar Media

Hailed by the fashion industry as a specialist in value and quality in international fashion, and anointed by Redbook as "The World's Smartest Shopper", Elysa Lazar, armed with an MBA from Columbia, began her career in banking and finance.

She soon struck out on her own, however, and within a few years had earned herself a coveted position as a regular contributor on The Today Show, CNBC, Today in New York, and Live with Regis & Kathy Lee. Elysa then launched two of the industry's best-known and longest- running information sources, the S&B Report, and www.lazarshopping.com. Her media outlets advertise the latest in public and private sales, fashion news, buyer's tips, and market analysis. Her publications and website are filled with inside information, unavailable in newspapers or magazines on such designers as Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Marchesa, Calvin Klein, Elie Tahari, Reem Acra, Slane & Slane, Angela Cummings, John Hardy, and, most recently, the icon of French children's fashion, Bonpoint.

Elysa calls Charleston home, and she travels widely, with primary stops in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. She crosses the country running sample and overstock sales for fashion's most prominent designers, and she takes a breather from time to time with appearances on Oprah and Good Morning America.

Ayoka Lucas
Charleston magazine Style Editor & Charleston magazine’s Charleston Fashion Week® Creative Director

Ayoka Lucas’ career as an innovative stylist began more than a decade ago in Atlanta, where she styled a local nightlife columnist and other celebrities. After relocating to Charleston, she wrote a weekly column that combined fashion, pop culture, and local events for Charleston City Paper. Lucas then joined the Charleston magazine team as style editor, producing the magazine’s monthly Style File, quarterly fashion features, and ongoing style blog. She is also the creative visionary behind Charleston magazine’s Charleston Fashion Week®, which has received national recognition and been named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events for March 2009. Lucas also serves as style editor for Charleston Home and Charleston Weddings magazines and as a contributing fashion correspondent on NBC News 2, ABC News 4’s Lowcountry Live, and 95SX-FM’s Two Girls and a Guy morning show.

Ashley Reid
Designer, Clewis Reid

A Charlotte, North Carolina native, Ashley Reid attended UNC-Chapel Hill where she earned a BA in Anthropology studying global cultures, especially those of Kenya and Western Samoa. Consistently drawn to the body adornment of the people in these areas, Reid began to develop her own vision of designing clothing, which she honed while earning her MFA in Fashion Design from SCAD. After graduating, she went on to design her own line of custom jewelry, intern with CFDA-nominated design team Costello Tagliapietra, and win an International Fashion Design Competition through GenArt in NYC. In 2008, she was selected as one of CFW's first Emerging Local Designers, and had the opportunity to show a collection on the CFW runway, boosting her to launch her own sustainable clothing line, Clewis Reid, which is currently in its second season. Reid is also an instructor at The Art Institute of Charleston in the Fashion Retail and Management program, where she has been teaching for close to two years.

Special Guest: Logan Neitzel

Project Runway’s Logan Neitzel plays Tim Gunn all week, consulting with our three EDC:S finalists during their design challenge at the Art Institute of Charleston.

Gordana Gehlhausen
Designer

Gordana Gehlhausen’s journey to the catwalk has taken her across countries and oceans, from her small Serbian village to Croatia, Germany, and the United States, finally landing her on season six of Project Runway. So it’s no wonder the designer’s travels inform her collection. “My Fall 2010 line is a play on texture, color, and experimentation with tribal influences inspired by a recent trip to China,” she says. But no matter how many miles she covers, the former downtown dweller is always thrilled to return to the Holy City, where she operated GOGA for eight years before moving shop to the West Coast. “I am so thankful for Charleston’s support,” reflects Gehlhausen. “And it’s exciting that the city gives local designers the opportunity to showcase their lines.”