Mint to Be Shines Light on Charlotte’s Rich Fashion Scene

The force of nature that is Perrine DeShield-Jenkins, aka Professor P., has done it again. A creative marketer, educator and event curator, Perrine is the architect behind Mint to Be, this year’s iteration of her annual Met Gala-inspired event. 

Following up on last year’s Superfine event and exhibit across the street at the Gantt Center, Friday’s Mint to Be: The Feminine Body as Costume Art event came with what-to-wear style guides, inspirational previews and a challenge to the community: Show us what you got. 

The runway show and fashion fair experience in the MINT5pace at Mint Museum’s Uptown location on Friday was a one-night-only event, sold out with more than 700 attendees, but the accompanying exhibit will be on display at the museum through June 2. 

Friday night’s show was a living exhibit in and of itself, and I was lucky enough to be stationed on the steps to catch the stream of stunning guests as they arrived at the Mint. With so many folks stepping out of their comfort zones to serve bold looks, there was nothing but love among visitors and organizers, with compliments and hugs all around.   

The only judgment came from the judges, who were overwhelmed with the wide array of fits on display. 

As they arrived, guests went on to meet and greet the designers behind the show on the terrace of the museum, then were given the option to participate in stylized photoshoots, check out some tooth jewelry, and do interviews with red carpet host Daja Britt. 

A “golden ticket” runway also provided chosen guests and fan favorites a chance to walk and showcase their styles. 

Local dance teacher Brenné Forst took the title of best-dressed guest with her 2-foot-wide spherical hairpiece. Forst told me she believes events like Mint to Be are putting Charlotte on the map as an emerging fashion hub.  

“The fact that people took time to research and go all out into the theme shows that people want Charlotte to be a creative city,” she said. 

There was an electric sense of energy in the air at the Mint on Friday night, as folks from throughout the South got a chance to engage with a strong but oft-overlooked fashion scene. 

Some standouts for me included a Lowe’s drop cloth that had been hand-sewn into a full-sized Victorian dress. Another — worn by local photographer, BLK MRKT co-owner and Professor P.’s husband Will Jenkins — featured a stylized cosplay of Donquixote Doflamingo from the popular anime One Piece (pictured in the gallery below).

Abigail Stetler, a relative newcomer to Charlotte, said she found her muse in the style guide, realizing that she had everything she needed right there in her closet.  

“Once that inspiration sparked … it shifted from building a concept and trying to figure out what could go together to just revealing what was already there waiting for me to notice,” she said. “Then the styling for accessories, makeup and hair all came in at once with that momentum.”

The runway show featured 19 designers in a three-round competition for a $1,000 cash prize. Designer Nkengi Freeman (@_nkengi) won the competition with her dynamic dress featuring a chest plate reminiscent of The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (pictured in the gallery below).

Local fashionista and sommelier Brion Cephus (@thecertifiedwino) shared his thoughts on the winning dress. 

“The winning look I think embodied all the elements of the ‘feminine form as costume art,’ paying homage to Venus through the bodice and it brought this sense of grandeur and drama through the gravity-defying back piece.”

Read more: Perrine DeShield-Jenkins Highlights Black Dandyism at the Gantt (2025)

I caught up with host, organizer and curator Professor P after the hugely successful show and she shared that she was grateful for the chance to remind the world of Charlotte’s creativity and rich culture.

“Fashion and personal style are extensions of who we are as individuals,” she told me. “It allows us to be able to share with the world our innermost creativity and really celebrate who and what truly inspires us. I’m so thankful to be able to get people out of their comfort zone and into their creativity! It’s liberating and also something I feel honored to be a part of.” 

Below, find more photos from Friday night’s Mint to Be event by Ernesto Brett Dennison: