"Project Runway will provide us the perfect opportunity to extend the Belk Brand," says Belk President and Chief Merchandising Officer Kathryn Bufano. "As the authority on lifestyle and fashion in the South, we are looking forward to adding our perspective to the show. We enjoyed pulling together more than 200 items for Project Runway to use, and we look forward to seeing how the contestants utilize the Belk accessory wall for their runway looks."

"We're very pleased to have Belk as our retail partner. The way they carefully curate their collection is a perfect fit for the show not only for our designers and the models on the runway but also for our fashion conscious viewers at home," says Project Runway Executive Producer and The Weinstein Company's President of Television, Meryl Poster.

During the season, Belk will feature the show at belk.com/projectrunway with information about accessories seen on the show, video clips and featured products based on the winning designs. Belk will also sponsor Facebook-based sweepstakes.

Entrants will be eligible to win one of the following:

- A selection from Belk accessory wall
- A trip to New York City to see a taping of Project Runway.

Belk's Project Runway sweepstakes will open August 8 at facebook.com/belk. The sweepstakes ends at midnight on October 25.

About Belk, Inc.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. is the nation's largest family owned and operated department store company with 301 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed to community involvement since its inception. Each year, Belk gives a portion of its pretax income back to the communities it serves. In the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2013, the company and its associates, customers and vendors, donated more than $19 million to those communities.

Belk