Charleston Fashion Week® Announces Bigger-Than-Ever Prize Package For Winner of Emerging Designer Competition

Emerging Designer Application Extended Through October 19, 2014

CHARLESTON, SC – Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® (CFW), one of the leading fashion weeks in the U.S., announces their prize package for the 2015 “Emerging Designer Competition: East” presented by Benefitfocus and has extended applications through October 19, 2014. This year’s Grand Prize Winner will receive a prize package worth more than $25,000 – the largest grand prize in the competition’s history, including a chance to be a featured designer at CFW 2016, an internship during New York Fashion Week 2015, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a private lunch with Fashion Icon and New York Fashion Week Founder Fern Mallis.

The CFW Emerging Designer Competition began eight years ago and serves as a platform for undiscovered talent and connects them with fashion industry insiders. Previous winners and contestants have been featured inVOGUE, Marie Claire, ELLE, WWD and on CNN along with other major media outlets, as well as having their collections picked up by stores such as Anthropologie, BARNEY’s New York, and Neiman Marcus.

Up to 20 semifinalists will be chosen and notified by late fall 2014. Semifinalists will show their collections on the runway, March 17 – 21 to approximately 1,000 attendees per night, including industry experts such as Fern Mallis.  “CFW provides a unique platform for emerging designers from the East Coast: I especially love that it fosters new talent and gives aspiring designers an opportunity to present their collections and ideas on a professional runway,” says Mallis, who in addition to creating New York Fashion Week now also hosts the 92Y Fashion Icons series & SiriusXM Fashion Insiders w/Fern Mallis.

The Grand Prize Winner of the 2015 Emerging Designer Competition will receive an enhanced prize package, including the following:

• $5,000 cash
• Will be the Featured Designer for Opening Night of CFW 2016
• Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have lunch with Fern Mallis in NYC in 2015
• Opportunity to intern for a designer during New York Fashion Week in Fall 2015
• Prizes such as a BERNINA sewing machine, web site assistance, and full year of PR

For more information, rules and regulations, please visit CFW’s Emerging Designer Competition: East.

About Benefitfocus
Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT) is a leading provider of cloud-based benefits software solutions for consumers, employers, insurance carriers and brokers. Benefitfocus has served more than 23 million consumers on its platform that consists of an integrated portfolio of products and services enabling clients to more efficiently shop, enroll, manage and exchange benefits information. With a user-friendly interface and consumer-centric design, the Benefitfocus Platform provides one place for consumers to access all their benefits. Benefitfocus solutions support the administration of all types of benefits including core medical, dental and other voluntary benefits plans as well as wellness programs. For more information, visit www.benefitfocus.com.

About Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week®
Showcasing fashion designers, retailers, and models, Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week®  (CFW) has fast become one of the premier fashion weeks in North America.  Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, this multimedia event presents high-end runway shows, interactive entertainment, chic after-parties, and press events.  The 2014 event featured more than 40 runway shows, over 7,000 attendees, Charleston Weddings’ Spring Bridal Show, Emerging Designer Competition: East presented by Benefitfocus, and the Rock the Runway Model Competition™. Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® 2015 is scheduled for March 17th-21st.  For more information visit charlestonfashionweek.com & for the 2014 recap video visit charlestonfashionweek.com/about