‘Project Runway’ walks down Nov. 14

by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, November 8, 2007

“Project Runway.” Pictured: (clockwise left to right) contestants Elisa, Simone, Steven, and Ricky; host Heidi Klum; mentor Tim Gunn; contestants Jack, Marion, Christina "Kit,” Carmen, Christian, Chris, Rami, Victorya, Kevin, Jillian and Kathleen "Sweet P"; and judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors (Bravo photo: F. Scott Schafer/copyrighted)

The fourth season of Bravo’s hit reality series “Project Runway” debuts on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 10 p.m. Fifteen designers will compete for the chance to win $100,000 toward the creation of their own line, the chance to show off their duds during Fashion Week, and have their wears featured in an “ELLE” magazine spread.

Supermodel, star and producer Heidi Klum and “Runway” fashion mentor Tim Gunn recently spoke about what they’re looking for from the new batch of Bryant Park hopefuls, and what’s happened with the previous winners.

Joshua Maloni: Heidi, let me ask you, what is the “wow” factor that you're looking for?

Heidi Klum: The “wow” effect. Well, I mean each time it's different because, you know, obviously we – the judges and, you know, Tim too, we know what the challenge is. So I don't see them for sometimes one or two days. And then really, you know, Tim sees them more backstage and they see it evolve. And me and the judges, when we sit in the chair, we see what they've come up with, you know, from the challenge that we gave them.

So that is for me the “wow” effect is when they come around the corner and then we see what they have done. Everyone had the same challenge, so now it's for us to see who of these, you know, designers that are still left or in the beginning 15 of them, who was the most inventive, the most creative, the most technical best, you know, who really has a vision, who stands out, you know, and kind of compare them with everyone else on that runway.

But it's for me the most spectacular moment is when they come around the corner for the very first time and I see them on that runway. And it's just amazing sometimes when, you know, even if it's a very hard challenge or sometimes it's a matter of money. Sometimes we give them hardly any money, like a really, really small amount of money and they make something that looks like, you know, $2,000 or $3,000. That to me is like, "Wow." Like that garment doesn't look like it's, you know, $20. That garment looks like it's a few thousand dollars.

But it always depends from challenge to challenge it's always different. And it's always a surprise and I just – that's my favorite bit of the whole show is when I see when it comes onto the runway for the first time and the model turns the corner and she comes on and looks amazing or not.

JM: And Tim, obviously everyone's excited about the new class. But what can you tell us about the previous winners? How are they doing these days?

Tim Gunn: Well, they're really doing well. I mean on – do you mean the actual winners of the season or – because I think of really all the designers on the shows as being a kind of winner.

Cloe Dao has expanded her business in Houston. And I even heard from her recently that she was talking to Neiman Marcus about the possibility of a line. She's been on QVC three times and it sold out. She's really doing well.

Jeffrey Sebelia, I saw here in New York during Fashion Week. He has a showroom on 57th Street. And I met him there to see his line. He'd sold out. So – and I believe he also just participated in the Los Angeles Fashion Week.

So I know that Jeffrey's doing well, Cloe's doing well but many of the people who didn't win are doing well.

HK: Well, Jeffrey, for example, I was just at the Grove shopping, you know, two days ago. And I was, you know, the store Theodore at the Grove?

JM: Sure.

HK: So I was just shopping along and all of sudden I thought, "Oh, that's cool." And I'm looking and it's Jeffrey Sebelia.

TG: That's thrilling.

HK: Yeah, and I had no idea that he was, you know, selling at that store. And it was really – I was like, "Wow. That is so cool." Because I didn't know, I mean we do get updated on things on what people are doing but, you know, we don't always know. We don't always necessarily, you know, see it plus I'm not – I can't be everywhere at the same time.

But it just happened and I was looking at this, I'm like, "That's interesting. That's cool." And I look at the label, you know, and it was Jeffrey Sebelia. That made me very, very happy.

JM: For each of you, you've obviously both been very successful in your fields, what is the appeal of doing a reality show?

TG: I mean for me, since I've spent most of my professional career in the classroom, I mean 29 years of it, it's a way of working with mature designers who already have industry experience. And I work with them in a capacity that's enhanced from the capacity in which I work with my students. And also I'm just in favor of doing anything that helps support our industry and helps move it forward in a positive way.

And I will tell you, when I was first approached by the Magical Elves, the producers, about the show, when they were looking for a consultant at that time, my role didn't even exist. I did say to them, "Fashion reality. This industry's in enough trouble without that." But when I realized that they're the “Project Greenlight” producers and that they have a seriousness of purpose and a huge integrity, I thought, "Well, let's see where this can take us." And I was instantly placated when they said that they wanted to work with real designers not just fashion designer wannabes.

JM: And Heidi?

HK: Well, I, you know, I started in creating the show with Harvey Weinstein and Desiree Gruber. And it was something that originally came from Harvey and he wanted to do something about fashion. And I already said to him, I'm like, "Don't you think reality is maybe a little bit late because there are so many reality television shows out there?" And he said, "No. There's nothing about fashion. But how can we make this interesting?"

So, you know, we thought about it for a long time and then, you know, finally had the idea of what the concept of the show would be. And, you know, it was then about making it real and giving people a chance, showing some talent because we thought that a lot of the shows out there are, you know, about eating worms and about, you know, weird things that people have to do. But no one really shows some true talent like something that actually then can go into a job, you know, that really people admire and people can dream about when they sit at home and they watch these people make clothes sometimes out of $20, you know, or out of garbage or out of groceries.

You know, all these things that we, you know, we came up with for them to do. So it was very exciting for me to, you know, put something out there that actually makes some sense, you know, and shows some talent and shows some people that can actually do something.

TG: And I’ll just add, yes, it's a reality and yes, it's a competition. But in that it documents the creative process, in also a very real way, there's something educational about the show and something creating our documentary about the entire experience of watching it.

HK: Exactly.

“Project Runway” airs locally on Ch. 53.