Face the Runway’s Charlotte event brought designers, models and fashion audiences to the Hilton Charlotte Airport on September 26, 2026. The photographs document an evening built around presenting collections and the people who bring them to life.
A platform for designers and the teams around them
The organizer’s event listing described runway presentations, designer and boutique collections, a red-carpet experience, professional photography and pop-up shopping before and after the show. Together, those elements placed fashion in several settings: on the runway, in photographs and in direct encounters between audiences and participating brands.
Designer Joseph McRae, known to Project Runway viewers, was among the featured talent. WCCB’s September 28 coverage also connected him with the Charlotte show. His presence offers one entry point into a larger story about the creative teams sharing this stage.
The production work that makes a runway possible
On its official website, Face the Runway describes coordinating models and designers, hair and makeup teams, backstage flow, photography and videography. It also lists staging, lighting, LED video walls and other equipment among its in-house capabilities. These are the organization’s descriptions of its services, rather than an independently checked equipment inventory for the September 26 event.
That work deserves a place in fashion coverage. A collection needs people who understand its presentation, models who can carry it before an audience, and a crew that can move the show from one look to the next. Photography extends the presentation beyond the room. Looking at those roles makes the organizer’s contribution more visible and gives the event depth beyond the final runway image.
How the platform invites participation
Face the Runway’s participation pages invite emerging designers and established labels, models of different sizes and backgrounds, hair and makeup teams, photographers, volunteers and media. The range reflects an approach that brings several parts of the fashion community into one production.
Readers interested in joining future programs should follow the requirements for the specific event. Some current application descriptions refer to Grandover Resort and Spa; they should not be read as the September Charlotte show’s venue or as confirmation of a Charlotte date.
Beyond the runway
FACE The Magazine’s “That Face” page describes a project introducing emerging models through interviews and editorial images. The page announced an October 2023 start. It offers a concrete example of the publication’s interest in giving new talent an editorial introduction, alongside the visibility of a live show.
There is also a documented earlier Charlotte showcase. In May 2024 coverage, Living La Vida Diva reported that FACE The Magazine presented Fashion Row at Dillard’s SouthPark. The report named Luko Marion, Snarkeez, Beck Bags and The Cosmo Gypsy. These credits belong to that earlier showcase.
Together, these examples show ways the publication has presented models and designers beyond a single runway evening: introducing people through editorial work and bringing collections into a retail setting. They give the September Charlotte story a longer local context.
Andre’s vision and the next chapter
Andre’s ambitions include expanding the runway platform and FACE The Magazine beyond Charlotte. Earlier outlines included other cities and an October 2026 magazine edition. Future dates, publication timing and any fashion-week affiliations require confirmation from the team.
The idea of pairing a runway with a publication gives the work a second setting in which to be discovered. A show introduces a collection in person; editorial coverage can help audiences return to it, learn about its creator and keep following the work. The development of those two platforms is a meaningful story to watch.
Face the Runway’s contribution to Charlotte’s fashion community is clearest in the people and work it brings together. QCB will continue to follow the designers, production teams and organizer announcements that give this platform its character.
View the complete Charlotte photo gallery. Photography by Scott Jelleyman / A&J Creative Photography.
Editorial update — October 6, 2026: Expanded with the September event listing, published coverage and the organization’s own descriptions of production and participation. Services and future plans are attributed to the organizer. This feature does not assert a verified ownership title or confirmed future itinerary.
