The Five-Night Celebration of the Local Fashion and Design Community Helps Boost Charleston Economy

While Charleston Fashion Week has been accredited with catapulting the careers of aspiring Southeast designers, the 2010 Economic Impact Study recently made public by the College of Charleston Office of Tourism Analysis confirms the five-night celebration of the region’s fashion and design community also helped boost the local economy by $1.7 million. According to onsite and online surveys, the fourth annual Charleston Fashion Week® held in the heart of the historic city, drew visitors in from across the country, with as much as a third coming from outside the tri-county area to attend the event.  Compared to the average Charleston tourist, $168, CFW visitors spent $34 more per day ($202) on food, lodging, and area shopping.

Other data by the College of Charleston School of Business revealed:

*Non-local CFW attendees stayed an average of 3.6 nights in Charleston
*78% of the non-local attendees stated they came specifically to attend Charleston Fashion Week®
*CFW attendees spent an average of $5,000 per year on fashion and planned to visit participating retailers
*40% of CFW attendees reported a household income of more than $100K
*The average age of attendees was 34-yr old, while 16% were full-time students
*22.5 jobs created during the five-day event

Charleston Fashion Week® 2010 charitable partners — the Center for Women, Lowcountry AIDS Services, and MUSC Children’s Hospital, also capitalized on the event’s growth. Thursday’s Catwalk For Kids auction benefiting MUSC Children’s Hospital with host Mary Norton raised more than $250K during the luncheon.

Charleston magazine announces the fifth annual Charleston Fashion Week® will return to the tents in Marion Square March 22-26th and will be expanding the Emerging Designer Competition to include applicants from the entire East Coast.  To learn more about Charleston Fashion Week® 2011, the Emerging Designer Competition or to register for the CFW newsletter, visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com.




About Charleston Fashion Week®
Charleston Fashion Week, owned and produced by Charleston magazine, is a five-night celebration of the region’s retail and design community. Held March 22-26, 2011 in the historic city of Charleston, SC, CFW will feature runway shows by east coast emerging designers, featured designers, and local retail participants. Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, CFW will also feature the Style Lounge, Rock The Runway Model Competition, Stiletto Stampede, and Bridal Show. For more information on Charleston Fashion Week or to apply to the 2011 Emerging Design Competition: East Coast, visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com.