“Designers, make it work!” Project Runway contestants have been sewing up a storm since 2004 — and some of the winners are still changing the game of the fashion industry to this day.
The long-running reality series challenges up-and-coming designers to create original garments restricted by time, material and theme. From 2004 to 2018, the show was hosted by Heidi Klum with fashion guru Tim Gunn acting as a mentor for the competitors. The longtime costars confirmed in September 2018 that they would not be returning for the show’s 17th season after signing onto Amazon Prime’s Making the Cut. They were replaced by Karlie Kloss and season 4 Project Runway winner Christian Siriano.
“We were in lockstep … I never dreamed that [Project Runway] would have a second season,” Gunn told Variety in a joint interview with Klum in March 2020. “Who knew? … There’s a love and respect there that we’ll always have.”
Through its more than 250 episodes, Project Runway has been a champion for diversity and innovation in the fashion industry. Despite facing “stigma” for his unconventional rise to the top of the design world, Siriano credited his time on the series with helping him become a household name.
“Right now, in our world, with what’s happening in our culture and everything, I feel like you just have to find new ways to support your company and your brand. Young designers and young businesses are going under every single day,” he told the Washington Post in April 2019. “So I really treated it as, ‘I can show the world what I can do — and maybe bring a new generation of customer to us.’ And I mean, obviously, when I was on that show, I was 21 years old — an actual child! And now, having a business, 40 employees, a real company, people can see what you start with and what you can turn it into.”
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As Kloss and Siriano step into their new roles on the runway, they’ve brought along bright new voices on the judges’ panel, like designer Brandon Maxwell and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Elaine Welteroth.
“I think it’s been cool to transform the legacy brand of Project Runway into something that feels really relevant for this moment, this time,” Welteroth told Parade magazine in April 2020. “We all had a say and had input. It felt like there was no reason to continue on with a legacy brand like Project Runway if it wasn’t going to really reflect what’s happening in the world right now and if it wasn’t going to be inclusive.”
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Scroll down to take a look back at Project Runway winners through the years.
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'Project Runway' Winners Through the Years: Where Are They Now?
"Designers, make it work!" Project Runway contestants have been sewing up a storm since 2004 — and some of the winners are still changing the game of the fashion industry to this day.The long-running reality series challenges up-and-coming designers to create original garments restricted by time, material and theme. From 2004 to 2018, the show was hosted by Heidi Klum with fashion guru Tim Gunn acting as a mentor for the competitors. The longtime costars confirmed in September 2018 that they would not be returning for the show's 17th season after signing onto Amazon Prime's Making the Cut. They were replaced by Karlie Kloss and season 4 Project Runway winner Christian Siriano."We were in lockstep ... I never dreamed that [Project Runway] would have a second season," Gunn told Variety in a joint interview with Klum in March 2020. "Who knew? ... There's a love and respect there that we'll always have."Through its more than 250 episodes, Project Runway has been a champion for diversity and innovation in the fashion industry. Despite facing "stigma" for his unconventional rise to the top of the design world, Siriano credited his time on the series with helping him become a household name."Right now, in our world, with what's happening in our culture and everything, I feel like you just have to find new ways to support your company and your brand. Young designers and young businesses are going under every single day," he told the Washington Post in April 2019. "So I really treated it as, 'I can show the world what I can do — and maybe bring a new generation of customer to us.' And I mean, obviously, when I was on that show, I was 21 years old — an actual child! And now, having a business, 40 employees, a real company, people can see what you start with and what you can turn it into."[jwplayer KBWRAaHk-l3ahXupL]As Kloss and Siriano step into their new roles on the runway, they've brought along bright new voices on the judges' panel, like designer Brandon Maxwell and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Elaine Welteroth."I think it's been cool to transform the legacy brand of Project Runway into something that feels really relevant for this moment, this time," Welteroth told Parade magazine in April 2020. "We all had a say and had input. It felt like there was no reason to continue on with a legacy brand like Project Runway if it wasn't going to really reflect what's happening in the world right now and if it wasn't going to be inclusive."Scroll down to take a look back at Project Runway winners through the years.[podcast_block]
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Jay McCarroll, Season 1
The show’s first winner was awarded $100,000, a mentorship from Banana Republic and a chance to show off his work during New York Fashion Week in 2005. He later turned down the money and the mentorship, citing contractual issues. McCarroll went on to teach at Philadelphia University and had his own fashion line on the QVC network. In 2010, he appeared on MTV’s Celebrity Fit Club and lost a total of 40 pounds.
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Chloe Dao, Season 2
Dao is currently based in Houston, Texas, and has continued to run her boutique fashion house since taking home the $100,000 prize in 2006. In 2013, she joined the judges’ panel on Project Runway Vietnam.
The edgy designer went on to work with Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Jennifer Lopez and the late Chester Bennington after winning the third season of the reality show. He was named head designer of Fluxus in 2010 and later left the position to start a punk-inspired kids’ fashion line, La Miniatura. Sebelia came in 7th on the third season of Project Runway: All Stars, which aired in 2013.
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Christian Siriano, Season 4
At just 21 years old, Siriano was one of the youngest designers to compete on the reality series and took home the win in 2008. Later that year, he started his own namesake brand. His designs have been worn by Michelle Obama, Billy Porter, Leslie Jones, Danielle Brooks and Taylor Swift. In 2018, it was announced that Siriano would be taking over for Gunn as Project Runway mentor, with Kloss replacing Klum as the show’s host.
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Leanne Marshall, Season 5
In October 2008, Marshall became the fifth Project Runway champion and moved to New York City soon after. The Oregon native has dressed Julianne Hough, Paula Abdul, Ariana Grande, Solange, Jane Fonda and more. She launched her signature bridal collection in 2011 and collaborated with BHLDN on an exclusive line of wedding dresses three years later.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Irina Shabayeva/Instagram
Irina Shabayeva, Season 6
The Parsons graduate designed for Selena Gomez and Carrie Underwood after being crowned Project Runway champion in 2009. She has since competed on Project Runway: All Stars twice: first on season 3 in 2013 and again on season 7 in 2019.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Seth Aaron Henderson/Instagram
Seth Aaron Henderson, Season 7
The California-based designer won the seventh season of the fashion competition in 2010 and returned to take home another win on Project Runway: All Stars in 2013. He launched a line with QVC one year later. The sustainable fashion guru collaborated with Feetz shoe brand on the world’s first 3D-printed shoes in 2019.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Byron Beck/Instagram
Gretchen Jones, Season 8
Jones moved to New York City to work on her personal brand after her controversial win over fan-favorite Mondo Guerra on season 8 of Project Runway. She became fashion director of womenswear at Portland-based Pendleton Woolen Mills in 2013 and received an MBA in fashion from the University of London College of Fashion five years later.
Ayoung-Chee earned $100,000 from L'Oreal Paris to begin her own women's line after leaving Project Runway victorious in 2011. She named her line after her brother, who died in 2007. The former Miss Universe competitor joined Gunn on the Project Runway spinoff, Under the Gunn, in 2014 and later returned for season 7 of Project Runway: All Stars in 2019. She was recently named a travel ambassador for her home country of Trinidad and Tobago.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Dmitry Sholokhov/Instagram
Dmitry Sholokhov, Season 10
Before auditioning to be on the reality competition show, the Belarus native received his BFA from Parsons School of Design in New York City. He returned to his alma mater as a teacher after winning both Project Runway season 10 and Project Runway: All Stars season 4. In October 2019, L.A.’s Metropolitan Fashion Awards named him Fashion Designer Of The Year.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Michelle Lesniak/Instagram
Michelle Lesniak, Season 11
The former reality contestant won the show’s first ever teams edition and has since returned to Portland, Oregon, to create "small production and emotive clothing" with her own brand. After winning Project Runway, she told the Hollywood Reporter that she was ready to build a bigger company. "I'm a one-woman show right now, and I can't do it anymore," she said in 2013. "It's too tough. It's time for an expansion and to take over the world."
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Dom Streater/Twitter
Dom Streater, Season 12
The Philadelphia-based designer walked away with the win in 2013 and continues to create work inspired by "global textiles, travel and history." Although her path to victory wasn’t easy, she came away from the competition feeling stronger than ever. "I knew why I was there and I knew how important this was to me," she told Today at the time. "I made sure to keep that as my main focus, everything else was background noise to me."
Credit: Courtesy Sean Kelly/Instagram; YouTube
Sean Kelly, Season 13
The New Zealand native showed off his latest looks during New Zealand Fashion Week in 2015 and was nominated for the prestigious honor of Young New Zealander of the Year in 2016. He now designs for men's apparel brand Hercules New York.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy Ashley Nell Tipton/Instagram
Ashley Nell Tipton, Season 14
After her big win, Tipton went on to design for J.C. Penney's plus-size fashion line and later created her own jewelry line for K&M Accessories. In November 2017, she released her first line of apparel and eyewear and became a consultant for other plus-size brands. In September 2020, the designer announced that she was pivoting away from fashion and launching her new “Love You” show on YouTube.
“The past three years I have been working on changing the way I think,” she said in her first episode of her series, noting that she was “depressed” when she was on Project Runway. “I’m excited and inspired to share with you how I’ve changed my life and how I think about my life.” The series will teach the concepts of “self-love, self-care and self-acceptance” with the assistance of Tipton’s manager and life coach Andrew Bisaha.
Credit: YouTube; Courtesy Erin Robertson/Instagram
Erin Robertson, Season 15
Robertson’s work has been featured in Marie Claire, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Forbes, Elite Daily and more high-profile fashion magazines. Along with her Project Runway win, she was the recipient of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Teen Vogue Scholarship in 2016. She has curated events for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and worked on styling content for Perrier and Starburst.
Credit: Courtesy Kentaro Kameyama/Instagram; Shutterstock
Kentaro Kameyama, Season 16
The Japanese designer stunned the judges with his minimalist, high-fashion work and was awarded a spread in Marie Claire magazine in 2018. He now designs collections for his eponymous brand, Kentaro Kameyama, and teaches at L.A.'s FCI Fashion School, where he was recently promoted to fashion design chair.
Credit: Courtesy Jhoan "Sebastian" Grey/Instagram; YouTube
Jhoan 'Sebastian' Grey, Season 17
Grey beat out finalists Hester Sunshine and Garo Sparo after a sophisticated final runway show during New York Fashion Week in 2019. The next year, he debuted his Fall/Winter 2020 Lineage collection at NYFW as an homage to his Colombian roots.
Credit: YouTube; Courtesy Geoffrey Mac/Instagram
Geoffrey Mac, Season 18
Mac's innovative designs and long history in the fashion world scored him an impressive win in early 2020. "It's been a life-changing experience for sure, hands down," he told Decider after the finale aired. "I'm officially #TeamGeoffrey now. I'm very excited about that."
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