21 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen As style director of Charleston Magazine from 1997-2007, Ayoka Lucas had her finger on the pulse of the fashion industry for a decade. Soon came a massive vision to put Charleston on the map of the fashion world. Backed by the owners of Charleston Magazine and Misty Lister, the marketing director, Lucas followed her dream and founded Charleston Fashion Week in 2007. After CFW’s first year, it became clear that there was a need for a professional event planner who could handle the pressure of coordinating the entire production of 40 shows throughout the week, with eight events per night. Enter Naomi Russell, who was then based in Manhattan, where she executed national events for This Old House. Recruited effectively as the executive director of CFW, Russell moved to Charleston where she spent the first few years navigating ticketing, searching for volunteers, attending production meetings, circumventing budget parameters and helping create the original dream team. When Lucas approached Jacqueline Lawrence about onboarding as Russell’s right hand on the runway side, due to her background in fashion, Lawrence jumped at the chance. Additionally, Ashley Brook Perryman, a new hair and makeup artist who had recently returned to Charleston from school in Los Angeles, came on board as liaison between designers and a local salon who ran CFW’s hair and makeup team. Michelle Wood, who had just moved back to her hometown of Charleston from Fashion is Passion BY SARAH ROSE Charleston Women in Style The evolution of Charleston Fashion Week
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