Christian Siriano To Headline South Walton Fashion Week October 5-9, 2016

South Walton Fashion Week (SWFW), taking place October 5th through 9th in venues throughout South Walton, Fla., announces celebrity designer Christian Siriano as a 2016 headliner and an emerging designer competition judge. 

Dubbed "the new king of old-school glamour" by Elle and "the next billion-dollar designer" by Yahoo! Style, Mr. Siriano’s designs have appeared on the world's biggest stars, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kerry Washington, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, Heidi Klum, Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham, and Kate Upton, to name just a few.

A VIP Christian Siriano trunk show will take place at Alys Beach’s Caliza Pool and Alys Shoppe on Friday, October 7th, and Mr. Siriano’s designs will also be featured on the SWFW runway on Saturday, October 8th.  Christian will be joined on the special guest panel by international artist Ashley Longshore (Anthropologie), television star Becca Tilley (The Bachelor), fashion photographer Carlo Pieroni, supermodel Carol Wilson, model agent Jenni Lubo (Click Models), and more to be announced soon.

In its fourth year, South Walton Fashion Week is a large-scale, multi-day event on Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast that celebrates high fashion by featuring national, regional and local designers, retail boutiques, emerging designers, and a model competition.  Runway shows, trunk shows, parties, and presentations will take place in beach neighborhoods throughout South Walton.

Prime-time runway shows will take place at “30A Venue” (30Avenue) on Thursday and Friday and at 560 Grand Boulevard (Grand Boulevard) on Saturday. VIE Magazine will host the official SWFW Launch Party, "The Get Down," at their headquarters in Grayton Beach on Wednesday, October 5th followed by an After-Party at Salon 76.  Day-time venues include Silver Sands Premium Outlets, The Shops at The Hub, Tommy Bahama, and more. A full list of runway shows and schedule of events will be released in September.

SWFW is calling emerging designers to apply for the 2016 Emerging Designer Competition sponsored by Silver Sands Premium Outlets and models (male and female) to apply for the Sheila Goode Model of the Year Competition sponsored by VIE Magazine.

Emerging designers who are selected as semi-finalists will showcase their designs on the SWFW runway at “30A Venue” on Thursday and Friday, and the judges will determine three finalists who will show on Saturday night.  The winner will be announced at the conclusion of Saturday's runway show, and the winner will receive a prize package that includes $2,000 cash, a feature in VIE's 2017 Fashion Issue, and a prime-time runway show at 2017 SWFW.

Chosen model applicants will be invited to a September casting call, and those who are cast will walk the SWFW runway to compete for the Sheila Goode Model of the Year award package, including $1,000 cash, a feature in VIE’s 2017 Fashion Issue and a meeting with Click Atlanta.  Model and emerging designer applications will be accepted through September 9th at swfw.org.

There is limited availability for established designers, fashion houses and retailers to show at SWFW, in addition to some opportunities for sponsorship and advertisement in the South Walton Style Guide.  For more information, contact jennifer@culturalartsalliance.com.

General admission tickets start at $20 for day-time events and $50 for prime-time events, and VIP tickets start at $100. Tickets and special lodging partner packages offered by Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Company and Courtyard Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard can be found at swfw.org.

South Walton Fashion Week is produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) in partnership with Monark Events and presented by Visit South Walton, Grand Boulevard and VIE Magazine. Other partners include 30Avenue, ZT Motors, VIVO Spa Salon, Oko, Pure & Couture, Willow + Mercer, Linda Miller - The Smile of 30A,  Bud & Alley's, Emerald Coast Magazine, The 30A Company, Tommy Bahama, Alys Beach, and Silver Sands Premium Outlets. Net proceeds benefit the CAA, which is the designated Local Arts Agency that supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education. The vision of the CAA is to make Walton County a creative place in which to live, work and visit (culturalartsalliance.com).