Fulton County Arts & Culture’s FACE 10 Days of Fashion enters its final stretch this week. A Runway 4A Cause benefit for St. Jude took place in Buckhead on September 30, and the series closes October 2 to 4 at Pullman Yards with Strange Intimacies, a showcase of tech-integrated work by Atlanta artists presented at the Atlanta Art Fair.
Key Takeaways
- Runway 4A Cause, a fashion show supporting St. Jude, took place September 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Buckhead Art & Company, with a cocktail attire dress code.
- Strange Intimacies runs at Pullman Yards from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 2 and 3 and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 4.
- FACEs of Fashion: “The Art of Influence” took place September 27 at Skillshot Media on Lindbergh Lane NE. Student designers from I’m Sew Fantastic presented their work on the runway.
- The Close-Up, a summit for early-career talent and founders in fashion and beauty, opened the series on September 23 at the Loudermilk Conference Center.
- The 2026 series marks five years of the county’s FACE initiative in fashion, art, culture, and education.
A County Arts Agency Builds a Fashion Calendar
Atlanta’s fashion scene has long relied on independent producers, boutique showcases, and brand-driven events. Fulton County Arts & Culture has taken a different approach. FACE 10 Days of Fashion is a public arts agency treating fashion as a creative industry worth county investment, alongside visual art, theater, and music.
The format reflects that thinking. Instead of one showcase night, the county spread programming across ten days and multiple venues, from a business summit downtown to a gallery runway in Buckhead to an art fair in Kirkwood. Each event reaches a different part of the local fashion economy: entrepreneurs learning to scale, designers presenting collections, models and crews looking for paid work, and audiences who might not otherwise attend a runway show.
Fulton County Arts & Culture Director David Manuel has described the effort in economic terms. At a model casting call for this year’s FACEs of Fashion show, he said the county, the largest in Georgia, is “now providing a platform for models to showcase, to work, to get paid.” More than 40 models attended that first call, many from Fulton County and the City of Atlanta.
The Close-Up Opened the Series With a Focus on Business
FACE 10 Days of Fashion began on September 23 with The Close-Up, a morning summit at the Loudermilk Conference Center. The program was aimed at early-career talent and founders working in beauty and fashion. It combined curated conversations, hands-on learning, and introductions to people in the industry.
Starting with a business summit rather than a runway sets the tone for the series. Visibility alone does not keep a designer or beauty founder in business. Knowing how to launch a line, price it, and grow it often decides whether local talent stays in Atlanta or leaves for larger markets.
FACEs of Fashion Put Student Designers on the Runway
The series’ main runway event, FACEs of Fashion: “The Art of Influence,” took place on Sunday, September 27, at Skillshot Media in the Lindbergh area. The evening combined a runway show with a networking reception. It also featured I’m Sew Fantastic, with student designers showing their own work alongside the main program.
Including students on the runway is one of the clearest signs of what Fulton County Arts & Culture is building. Young designers rarely get a professionally produced runway, and a county-backed show gives them experience and visibility early in their careers.
Ahead of the show, Manuel appeared on FOX 5 Atlanta’s Good Day Atlanta with designer Octavius Terry, a current Project Runway contestant, to preview the event. Terry’s presence showed how Atlanta-connected designers are reaching national audiences.
Runway 4A Cause Paired Style With Giving
On September 30, Runway 4A Cause brought the series to Buckhead Art & Company. The evening was built around giving back, with ticket purchases supporting St. Jude. The cocktail-attire event placed runway collections inside a gallery setting.
Strange Intimacies Brings the Series to Pullman Yards
FACE 10 Days of Fashion closes at Pullman Yards, where Strange Intimacies runs during the Atlanta Art Fair. The exhibition gathers tech-integrated work by Atlanta-based artists connected to GT Arts at Georgia Tech and the Public Art Futures Lab.
The work looks at the environment and people’s shared role within it. It explores tensions between individuals, communities, and their surroundings in a period of instability. Placing it inside the art fair links the county’s fashion series to Atlanta’s wider design and visual art scene.
Visitors can see Strange Intimacies from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 4. Pullman Yards is at 225 Rogers Street NE in Kirkwood.
Fashion as Part of Atlanta’s Creative Economy
Taken together, the ten days show how Fulton County Arts & Culture sees fashion: as a creative industry that touches education, small business, and public art. The series reached students, emerging founders, working models, and established designers, and it moved across several neighborhoods.
Five years in, the FACE initiative is building ongoing infrastructure for that industry. For a region with a deep pool of designers, stylists, photographers, and production talent, steady public investment can make it easier for creative careers to grow without leaving the city.
FAQs
What is FACE 10 Days of Fashion?
FACE 10 Days of Fashion is a Fulton County Arts & Culture series of fashion events held across Atlanta. The 2026 edition ran from September 23 to October 4 and included a business summit, runway shows, and an exhibition at the Atlanta Art Fair.
When and where is Strange Intimacies on view?
Strange Intimacies is at Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers Street NE, during the Atlanta Art Fair. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 2 and 3, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 4.
Where was the 2026 FACEs of Fashion show held?
FACEs of Fashion: “The Art of Influence” took place Sunday, September 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Skillshot Media, 2470 Lindbergh Lane NE. The program included a runway showcase, a networking reception, and student designers from I’m Sew Fantastic.
What was Runway 4A Cause?
Runway 4A Cause was a September 30 fashion show at Buckhead Art & Company supporting St. Jude. Every ticket purchased contributed to the cause, and the dress code was cocktail attire.
Who organizes FACE 10 Days of Fashion?
Fulton County Arts & Culture organizes the series, led by Director David Manuel. In 2026, the program marked five years of advancing fashion, art, culture, and education in Fulton County.
