Project Runway Tries a New Format

Project Runway is shaking things up as it struts down the fashion catwalk into its 11^th season. When the new season debuts on Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. fans will see a whole new Project Runway with a new team format as well as a new main judge, Zac Posen, who replaces the legendary master of fashion snark, designer Michael Kors. Kors will return as a guest judge for this season’s finale.

The new team format will see the designers competing each week against each other as part of two teams rather than strictly as individuals.

In past seasons, Project Runway had utilized team formats only for one of the weekly challenges. The new format is a virtual copycat of The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection, the fashion design replacement series the Bravo cable network had presented twice after Project Runway moved to the competing Lifetime cable network.

While online blogs and fan chat rooms were rife with speculation that the move was a gimmick introduced for ratings, Project Runway executive producer Sara Rea said the team format was an attempt to come up with something new that also reflected the realities most designers face in the fashion industry.

“We expected some fan complaints but it’s not like this was done for the reasons people are guessing,” Rea said. “The team format is really very reflective of the real world. This is a very collaborative industry. In the real world, designers work as part of a team.”

“So it’s not just some gimmick we pulled out of the hat.”

Rea said producers were happy with the results, especially the collaborative environment established and the ensuing discussions and behind-the-scenes critiques between team members before their work was presented to the judges.

“Here’s a great example of how it works. If I have a great garment, maybe the best garment out there, if my team kind of sucks overall then I can’t win that challenge because my team failed,” Rea said, explaining the dynamics behind the new format. “I care about what everybody else is doing because my garment is attached to everyone else’s. We’re judged on how we collectively put together whatever the looks are for that challenge.”

Despite the team format, Rea confirmed that as in past seasons there will ultimately be only one winner this season.

The winning designer’s prize includes $100,000 from L’Oreal Paris to start a line, a fashion spread in Marie Claire, a new Lexus, a $50,000 “technology suite” from HP and Intel, and a chance to design and sell an exclusive collection at Lord & Taylor.

Rea said no decision has been made on if the new format will be retained in future seasons.

The new format isn’t the only change for this season. Designer Zac Posen has replaced designer Michael Kors on the regular panel of featured judges, joining Marie Claire creative director Nina Garcia and supermodel and Project Runway executive producer Heidi Klum. Tim Gunn returns as the workroom mentor for the designers.

Rea said Kors will be the guest judge for this season’s finale but was unable to commit to the entire season because of business commitments. The change did provide an interesting element to the season, Rea noted.

“There are a lot of things Zac brings to the table. He brings that younger element but also, he’s closer to the point of starting his business and knowing what that’s like,” Rea said. “He’s very much into the details and construction. He brings an interesting perspective. He’s also closer to that hands on level of being a designer where you’re actually sewing things yourself.”

As always, the crop of 16 designers reflects a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. “Every group, every season has a personality collectively that identifies them. This group is hungry. I think this group really wants it. You feel that,” Rea said. “In a very sort of endearing way there are a lot of people to root for, who are very likeable. And they’re fun to listen to and fun to watch.”

Rea added that this season’s designers were also an especially diverse group in terms of backgrounds and styles. “They all have a different aesthetic which is cool. Of course that happens every season but this season you really have a lot of unique points of view and the ages go from 22 to 59,” she said. “It’s a very diverse group aesthetically and in terms of personalities and point of view.”

So who are the 16 designers on season 11 of Project Runway?

The group includes regional design stars like Amanda Valentine from Nashville; James Martinez from Dallas; Joseph Aaron Segal from Rhode Island and Kate Pankoke from Chicago. Designers with impressive backgrounds like Stanley Hudson, who worked with Bob Mackie; Benjamin Mach, former senior designer for London-based luxury menswear label WINTLE; and Samantha Black, who heads her own Sammy B line and was head designer for Aeropostale’s Jimmyz women’s denim line. Wild cards like Daniel Esquivel, a self-taught freelance designer from Austin; Cindy Marlatt, a former funeral home director and UPS truck driver who graduated just last year from the Art Institute of Seattle; Patricia Michaels, a New Mexico-based designer and former gallery owner, whose aesthetic is rooted in her Native American heritage. Other designers this season are Emily Pollard, who lives in Falls Church, VA; Layana Aguilar, who lives in New York City; Mat Arthur of New Orleans; Michelle Lesniak Franklin of Portland; Richard Hallmarq of Sacramento, and  Tu Suthiwat Nakchat who had recently moved from Thailand to  Springfield, VA before Project Runway.

—Karyn D. Collins