Jazsalyn McNeil, a junior in fashion and textile management, is set to compete as a designer in Charleston Fashion Week from March 19 to 23. 

McNeil, a native of Raleigh and Pack Promise scholar, is one of 20 designer finalists that will compete in the 2013 Fashion Week in South Carolina. She will showcase her work in hopes of getting her name out into the fashion world and is raising money to complete her line. 

As a university student with a college budget, McNeil is holding a fundraiser to complete her designs. McNeil is currently raising money through an international crowd funding website called “Indiegogo.” Users of the website create a page campaigning for their cause, and visitors can donate money by simply pressing a button and entering their credit card information. 

On her website, McNeil has a video explaining her cause and describing her journey to Charleston Fashion Week. There are incentives for donations depending on how much money is contributed. 

March will not be McNeil’s first visit to Charleston Fashion Week, as she has been a model in CFW since 2011. McNeil was spotted by a scout her freshman year at NCSU and is now a model for Tout Talent agency. 

“Modeling opened up my eyes and brought the fashion world into perspective for me,” McNeil said. “It made me see what I wanted to do with my life.” 

2012 was a big year for McNeil as a fashion designer. In the 2012 NCSU Color Fusion fashion show, McNeil won first place. 

Fay Gibson, co-chair of N.C. State Fashion Week, stressed that the event focuses on innovation and creativity while giving students real world experience.

“Last year we had representatives from Ralph Lauren and Anthropologie,” Gibson said. “Students first had to apply, and then the chosen garments were modeled for the fashion show.” 

Shortly after the fashion show, McNeil applied for the Belk Southern Designer Showcase. 

“I found out about the Belk Southern Designer Competition right after winning N.C. State Fashion Week,” McNeil said. “My fashion brand professor insisted that I apply, although I was skeptical because I had one design and two weeks to complete an entire collection during finals.”

McNeil finished her collection and exams, and submitted her showcase. She found out she was a semi-finalist while interning with Ralph Lauren over the summer, met with the president of merchandising and marketing at Belk, and was then chosen as one of the 2012 winners. 

“I think it is safe to say fashion is my life,” said McNeil. “At a young age, I knew I always wanted to be an artist.” 

 Lisa Chapman, assistant professor in the College of Textiles, is one of McNeil’s faculty mentors for her projects. Although this year is the first time Chapman will attend CFW, she knows how great this experience will be for McNeil. Being a part of this Fashion Week will put McNeil in contact with so many important people in the

industry, while readying her for the real fashion world, according to Chapman.

“Charleston Fashion week will allow Jazsalyn to show her designs in a professional setting,” said Chapman. “Preparing a design for review by hundreds of attendees and professionals in the industry is different from the type of review a student would have in a classroom setting.”

At the emerging designer finals in Charleston, a “people’s choice” winner will be announced each night of the fashion week. The 2013 emerging designer grand prize winner will be announced on the last day of the fashion week, March 23. The grand prize winner receives a $5,000 cash prize, $10,000 in online marketing, a promotional package from F22 Designs, a mentoring opportunity with industry leaders, a lookbook of the winner’s fall collection, a free runway show at CFW 2014, a BERNINA sewing machine and a signature jewelry piece. 

McNeil is following her dream, but the goal of getting to CFW has not yet been reached.

“I have to buy hundreds of yards of different types of silks, thousands of different types of crystals for embellishments,” McNeil said. “I’m fine with being a starving artist as long as my designs live.” 

Donations for McNeil can be made at: indiegogo.com/jazsalyn-cfw13.