Belk's Southern Designer Showcase is Back

Charlotte-based Belk, Inc., the nation's largest family owned department store company, is once again seeking Southern designers of Women's Apparel, Men's Apparel, Kid's Apparel, Shoes and Women's Accessories to add to its existing collection of brands for its third Southern Designer Showcase competition. Winning designs will be sold at Belk and on belk.com in Spring 2016.

Applicants can visit belk.com and click on the Southern Designer Showcase button to submit their applications starting today through February 2, 2015. Designers must be 18 or older and must currently live in the South or have a strong connection to the region. A panel of senior Belk executives in Merchandising, Marketing and Fashion Direction will select a group of finalists by February 27, 2015 and will invite them to present their designs at Belk Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 16, 2015.

"The Southern Designer Showcase is back and better than ever," said Arlene Goldstein, Belk's vice president of trend merchandising and fashion direction. "We are thrilled to give a new group of emerging fashion designers the opportunity to bring our customers the fashions they love."

The 2015 Southern Designer Showcase winners will be announced on May 14, 2015 during a celebration event at Belk Headquarters. Along with a cash prize, winners of the 2015 Southern Designer Showcase will have their collections sold in select Belk stores and on belk.com in Spring 2016. Winning collections may also be featured in upcoming advertising campaigns.

"We can hardly wait to see what this year's competition applicants have to offer," said David Zant, Belk's president and chief merchandising officer. "These designers truly help us define what is Modern, Southern, Style and we are excited to build new relationships with our 2015 winners."

About Belk, Inc.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation's largest family owned and operated department store company with 300 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states and a growing digital presence. Its belk.com website offers a wide assortment of national brands and Private label fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family along with top name cosmetics, a wedding registry and a large selection of quality merchandise for the home. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed to community involvement since its inception. In the fiscal year ended Feb. 1, 2014, the company and its associates, customers and vendors donated more than $20.9 million to communities within Belk market areas.

Belk offers many ways to connect via digital and social media, including Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus and Belk Blog, and provides exclusive offers, fashion updates, sales notifications and coupons via email or mobile phone text messages. Customers can also download the latest Belk mobile apps for the iPad, iPhone or Android.