Charlotte Fashion Week is back for five days of runway shows, design contests and after-parties, running Sept. 22-26 at PINE near NoDa. Organizers describe the event as open to anyone from 5-year-old first-timers to models in their 80s, regardless of experience, making it as much a community showcase as a runway spectacle.
All of the week's fashion shows will take place at PINE, located at 4100 Raleigh St., according to Axios. Charlotte Fashion Week grew out of Rita Miles' Charlotte Seen, founded in 2010, with the company launching the fashion week in 2011. Public descriptions do not fully align on the event's history or scale: Axios reports more than 200 shows over 16 years, while an event listing on simpletix.com describes 2026 as its 15th year. The sources also differ on this year's roster, with Axios reporting more than 80 designers and 600 models and the ticket listing citing more than 50 designers and 400 models.
A Kickoff Party and a Cross-Country Prize
The week opens Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. with a kickoff party featuring champagne, small bites and desserts, per the same Axios report. Two days later, Thursday brings the All About Fabrics-sponsored design challenge at 7:30 p.m., which requires designers to select their fabric in just one hour before spending four months building a full collection. The challenge's winner earns a spot at New York Fashion Week next year, giving local designers a genuine shot at national exposure.
Friday evening's show, starting at 7:30 p.m., turns the runway over to sustainability with an unconventional lineup built entirely from recyclable materials. That segment will include an Icelandic water-themed presentation featuring garments crafted from the brand's own bottles and labels, according to the report. Saturday closes out the week with two runway shows — a daytime show from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and an evening show from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. — both preceded by a cocktail hour and vendor shopping.
The context behind the recycled-materials theme
Charlotte Fashion Week's NoDa setting also reflects the neighborhood's changing cultural role. The Charlotte Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte reports that NoDa's arts-district identity took shape in the mid-1990s, when galleries and off-beat music venues moved into empty storefronts. The institute says the 2018 opening of the Blue Line light-rail extension later marked a consequential shift in the area's building size and development scale.
More Than a Runway
Charlotte Fashion Week's programming is presented as an accessible entry point for emerging and established designers, recyclable-materials creators and models at different experience levels. The event's Charlotte Seen page describes it as a five-night celebration that has featured more than 31 runway shows since the company's 2010 founding.
Miles told Axios that Charlotte has a deep pool of creatives who deserve to be spotlighted and described Charlotte Fashion Week as the largest fashion shows and week in the Southeast. She also said models do not need to be seasoned to walk the runway. According to the Axios report, the week's programming addresses bullying and mental health, with mental-health-focused speakers at shows and rehearsals and encouragement for models to share their stories and seek support.
After-Parties and Ticket Details
Beyond the runway, the week includes after-parties at nearby Stylus Lounge and Soul Gastrolounge. Fashion show tickets range from $58 to $79, and the simpletix.com ticket terms specify that purchases are final and nonrefundable, though tickets may be transferred with the organizer's approval. That same listing states the ticket agreement is governed by North Carolina law.
For those hoping to get involved rather than just watch, Charlotte Fashion Week is currently accepting models and behind-the-scenes creatives for this year's event, along with hair and makeup artists, photographers and videographers. The organizers have also opened applications for designers and models interested in participating in next year's 2027 event.
