“Project Runway,” the reality TV competition for fashion designers, is back and celebrating its 10th anniversary. But even with 125 episodes behind it, the show still has tricks up its meticulously tailored sleeve.
“We had one [challenge] where [the designers] had to make clothes out of candy,” Klum reveals, though she is careful to keep the details of other Season 10 challenges a secret. “We went to Ralph Lauren’s daughter’s store … Dylan’s Candy Bar, and they loved it. I loved it, too. I love the unconventional challenge when they get to make clothes out of things that are not fabric.”
The Lifetime series — originally airing on Bravo for Seasons 1 through 5 — still provides plenty of eye-candy, too, as designers compete to craft the best clothing, culminating in the finalists showing their collections at New York Fashion Week.
“I think people enjoy watching that dream of another person,” Klum says. “You fight for them. You root for them. You want them to do well, and you want to see what they can come up with.”
But with big dreams come big egos. Klum warns of a scandal involving two cast members leaving the show altogether this season.
“This has never happened to us before,” she says. “I think they just couldn’t make it work. We always say, ‘Make it work, make it work.’ They just could not make it work and in the morning they were gone. They literally packed up their bags and ran off in the middle of the night when everyone else was sleeping. We just couldn’t believe it.”
Despite the incident, Klum insists “Project Runway” is still about the contestants’ work, not the drama.
“Our show is based on talent,” Klum says. “It’s not based on having characters. There are so many shows out there that just put people on because they look a certain way or they talk a certain way or they’re goofy and funny or they do a lot for show or they do a lot for TV. Our show is based on fashion, and I think people appreciate that. I think that’s why we have been out for so long.”
