Who are the Fashion Breathes Life ICONS and why do you need to know about them? Because the fashion models for this upcoming gala and runway show are known as ICONs, and they’re at least half the fun of this always fun event.
Not only do they bravely walk the runway in front of a roomful of guests, most of them on a runway for the first time in their lives, they also commit to raising funds to support the cause and generate excitement about the event and the cause within our community. You can read more about the Fashion Breathes Life Gala here.
This year’s ICONS are a block-buster group of local movers and shakers and people-to-know. Get to know a few of them by reading about their Charlotte connections, their reason for walking this year, and of course, how they are each feeling about taking to the runway 🙂
What brought you to Charlotte?
I moved here in 2002 to take a teaching position with CMS (needless to say, teaching was not my calling).
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
In addition to being passionate about giving back and philanthropy, my aunt died of Cystic Fibrosis when I was in my 20’s, so I am honoring her memory.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I have some mild trepidation, but with a pair of good shoes and good music, I’ll be fine!
Brooke Cole (partnering with Nadia Meredith)
Find their fundraising page Here.
Find Brooke on Instagram at @brookecole617
Find Nadia on Instagram at @nadia_meredith
What brought you to Charlotte?
BROOKE: After living in the Northeast for over a decade, my husband and I were looking for a warmer and easier city to raise our young family in that also had an international airport. Charlotte was the perfect fit and was also located in our original home state.
NADIA: I was living in Florida and looking for a fresh start in a new, vibrant, and diverse city. I had a few friends in Charlotte who convinced me to move to Charlotte, and so I did! Sight unseen and I’ve never looked back!
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
BROOKE: I attended the event last year and was moved by the hardships that CF patients and parents face. At the same time, I was inspired by the advances in medicine and treatments and felt I could help contribute to that progress and make a difference.
NADIA: I love fashion and more so, helping people and contributing to a mission driven foundation like CFF. I have been attending Fashion Breathes Life for several years and was always moved by the stories and how the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation uses fundraisers like FBL to help fund finding a cure and provide people with CF the opportunity to live long and fulfilling lives.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
BROOKE: While I do have some modeling experience from my teen years, that was decades ago so I am quite intimidated now. I just hope to get some smiles from the audience and then join everyone on the dance floor afterwards.
NADIA: I mean who wants to follow Angie Harmon on the runway?! Kidding aside, I’m willing to step put of my comfort zone for such an amazing cause and praying I don’t trip!
What brought you to Charlotte?
While visiting friends here in Charlotte & pregnant with my third daughter I was completely captivated by Charlotte’s elegance but also its home-town feel. It reminded me of what my hometown of Dallas was when I was growing up & I fell in love with it immediately. I knew it would be a wonderful place to raise my girls & give them the perfect mixture of bustling metropolis meets southern hospitality!
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
I was inspired to join CFF by my friends Nicole Scronce & her beautiful daughter Cinnie, who lives with cystic fibrosis!
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I’m actually excited to walk… I’ve walked for the most brilliant & talented designers all over the world so walking for CFF will be a glorious return to the runway!
What brought you to Charlotte?
Charlotte lured me back after 4 years in New York City. I spent my entire adult life here after college and making my triumphant return post NY has been the absolute best – I missed it so much!
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
I’ve been involved with CFF for 15 years, 4 different events, and 2 national committees and this is BY FAR my favorite event! It saved me from hiking 30 miles again and I am forever grateful. I started my involvement with no direct CF connection very early in my professional career and the foundation gave me incredible opportunities to have low stakes leadership roles that allowed me to experience leadership and people management before I was able to experience that in my professional career. Those foundational leadership roles really helped me accelerate my career and that combined with the way I was embraced by the CF community is something I’d truly be never be able to payback in my lifetime so I have to keep raising money until we are at the finish line and there are a lot of really special people in my life still waiting for their CF miracle, their cure and I’m with them UNTIL IT’S DONE!!
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Great because I’m skipping that part of the program or sending my clone.
What brought you to Charlotte?
I live in Chicago. My brother and wife are the founders Fashion Breathes Life.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
My nephew has Cystic Fibrosis.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I am super excited. My mother was one of the first nonprofessional models at the event and I feel lucky to have been chosen.
What brought you to Charlotte?
My mom is from Charlotte so I grew up visiting family and watched the city transform into what it is today. I lived here for several years after college and moved to Cincinnati for my husband’s job in 2003. We returned to Charlotte in 2013 and are so happy to be back!
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
Myfriendship with the Pleune’s, Jill, Ben, Henry and Oliver . We have attended the event several times in the past and I’m excited to be more involved this year. I know that Oliver is living a better life because of the new drugs available so it’s exciting to see how this event is making a direct impact on his life.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Anxiety will be at an all time high! I do not like to be the center of attention so I will be very nervous! But I know it will be fun – I’m sure I’ll be laughing the whole way down.
What brought you to Charlotte?
My husband took a job in Charlotte that brought us here from California 9 years ago.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
My friend Jill Pluene’s son Oliver has battled this disease since birth, and is also a classmate of my daughter’s. I wanted to help make a difference with raising awareness and funds to support research.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I am honored to have been chosen, and ecstatic to help support this amazing organization.
What brought you to Charlotte?
My Husband, an Air Force retiree, now flies the 777 for American Airlines. We chose Charlotte as our hub for several reasons. Top of that list is that we had good friends in place, those friends introduced us to the Pleune’s, and in-turn, landed me here answering this question.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
Fashion isn’t about how you look, it’s about how you feel. I am a firm believer in that. As a type 1 diabetic, I am able to specifically relate to a diagnosis that requires 24/7 maintenance. Meeting the Pleune’s allowed me to learn about CF. That knowledge needs to be shared in order to make medical advancements that will allow the life of someone with CF to be longer and more comfortable and ultimately curable. I am here to do just that!
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Terrified, can I say that? Excited is probably a better word. I’ve never been one for the stage; I often kid that I blacked out when everyone turned to look at my wedding. While supporting for a fabulous cause I will also get to work on personal growth…. At least that is what I am telling myself.
What brought you to Charlotte?
Born and raised!
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
I was exposed to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life through my firm, James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A. Fashion Breathes Life is truly a great event, for a great cause, that has helped generate substantial progress toward a cure.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Apprehensive yet, excited!
What brought you to Charlotte?
Over 20 years ago my girlfriend Krista and I graduated college in Virginia and the tech job market had just taken a dive. We decided to choose where we wanted to live rather than chase a job, and immediately knew Charlotte was the place for us. It was a place that’s big enough to be a national destination, but small enough to make a difference and be part of the shaping of what it will ultimately become. Krista and I got married, had kids, stayed involved in shaping the community, and feel as strongly today about our choice as we did then.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
Thanks to the tireless work of Fashion Breathes Life, I’ve recently become more deeply aware of the challenges faced by people with Cystic Fibrosis, and the stories I’ve learned since going down this path have moved me to contribute to the cause. This genetic disorder imposes relentless hardships on those affected and their families, transforming their everyday lives into a continuous struggle. Inspired by their resilience, I am committed to raising both funds and awareness alongside the amazing leaders of Fashion Breathes Life. I’ve quickly learned that even the smallest of contributions to the cause is not just about offering support; it’s about being part of a larger movement that strives to turn the tide against CF.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I’m a bit nervous that the leaders of Paris Fashion Week will see my performance and demand that I enter the Big 4 circuit. I just don’t have the bandwidth for that right now.
What brought you to Charlotte?
I was born and raised in Charlotte. I love everything about this city and never really had the desire to live anywhere else.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
My company, Sharpe Co. has been a printing sponsor of FBL for several years and I was so excited when they asked me to be a part of the live event!
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Very, very, very nervous. But also excited and thankful to be a part of such an amazing organization and event.
What brought you to Charlotte?
Hurricane HUGO circa Sept 1989… Not exactly, but close, I came to the area in 89 as an exchange student. I attended Concord High School and then UNC-Charlotte for architecture. Charlotte is home.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
I have close friends, colleagues and neighbors affected by CF, so it was easy to answer the call to participate this year and support the Foundation with fundraising.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
I feel ok, so far I have had just a few nightmares where I trip and fall out of the catwalk… I wonder what those mean… Just kidding, I’ll be in great hands and I totally trust the team of volunteers working the runway and fashion show, it is going to be fun.
What brought you to Charlotte?
My wife, Lindsay, and I relocated from New York City to the Carolinas in 2012 when I began my MBA program at Wake Forest University. We fell in love with Charlotte and knew this was where we wanted to establish our roots and build our family.
What motivated you to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Fashion Breathes Life?
Jill and Ben Pleune were among our first friends when we moved to Charlotte. We consider ourselves fortunate to have gotten to know them over the years and genuinely adore their family. Their dedication to the CF Foundation, alongside navigating life’s challenges, has been truly inspirational. I am so appreciative just for the opportunity to support them and FBL in any way I can, no matter how small.
How do you feel about walking the runway?
Incredibly nervous and excited at the same time. Fortunately, I have some great coaches.
Fashion Breathes Life presented by Abernethy Contracting offers a fantastic opportunity to unify our community in support of those with cystic fibrosis, as well as play a key role in helping achieve The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s fundraising goals.
Fashion Breathes Life Gala
Saturday, February 24, 2024
The Revelry in Camp Northend
Ticket Price: $350 per person
- 6:00-7:30p – Cocktail Hour & Dinner Stations, Silent Auction Bidding & Kristin Hayes Jewelry Pull
- 7:30p – Seating for Fashion Show
- 7:45p – Icon Fashion Show, Live Auction and Special Guest Bid for a Cure Speakers
- 9:00p – Live Music from Southside Watt & Late Night Snacks After Party
