Project Runway fans — and more than a dozen of the Emmy® Award-nominated series’ past contestants — will have to wait no more. Lifetime today announced the new judges, mentor, host and 13 of the show’s most talented, memorable, opinionated, adored and feared designers as contestants for its eagerly anticipated all new unscripted series, Project Runway All Stars. As they face the most demanding challenges in the history of Project Runway to claim the highest stakes ever for the franchise, each designer will have the rare opportunity to redeem themselves before an entirely new panel of fashion experts closely reviewing their work. World-famous designers Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman will serve as judges on the new series, which will be hosted by supermodel Angela Lindvall and feature fashion tastemaker and Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles as mentor for the Runway veterans. Project Runway All Stars will premiere later this year on Lifetime.
With a clean design slate, a fresh perspective on their art and a different mentor providing her own counsel and insight, the 13 designers set to have another judgment day by proving they still have the innovation, talent and poise that made them household names will now have to meet even higher expectations from Mizrahi and Chapman. The Project Runway All Stars designers include:
Austin Scarlett (New York) – Season One, Fourth Place – Winner of Project Runway’s first ever challenge, Austin wowed judges and viewers alike with his eccentric ball gowns and ability to produce glamorous fashions under tight deadlines, including a gown made entirely out of cornhusks.
Kara Janx (New York) – Season Two, Fourth Place – Best known for her signature wrap dress, a kimono dress and her girly, flirty clothes featuring an urban vibe, Kara lasted 11 episodes before being eliminated in Season Two.
Elisa Jimenez (New York) – Season Four, 10th Place – Famously remembered among her fellow competitors and viewers for marking her clothes with spit, rather than a fabric pencil.
Rami Kashou (Los Angeles) – Season Four, Runner-up – Recognized for his signature Grecian-style draping look, made it to the final two of Season Four before losing to Christian Siriano.
Sweet P/Kathleen Vaughn (Pasadena, CA) – Season Four, Fifth Place – Perhaps best-known for her club-influenced garments and retro pieces, her baby-doll inspired dress wowed judges during Season Four.
Jerell Scott (New York) – Season Five, Fourth Place – A hit on Season Five, creating stunning and opulent designs before his love of bling on his dresses led to his downfall.
Kenley Collins (Brooklyn) – Season Five, Second Runner-up – One of Project Runway’s most controversial contestants who regularly talked back to judges and had run-ins with other Season Five designers, is best-known for her vintage, flapper-inspired looks.
Gordana Gehlhausen (San Diego) – Season Six, Fourth Place – One of Project Runway’s more experienced designers, made it to the 12th episode of Season Six by showcasing her signature knit and crochet wear.
Anthony Williams (Atlanta) – Season Seven, Fifth Place – Known for his competitive spirit and hilarious one-liners, his aesthetic for bold and striking colors and sequins was seen throughout his designs.
Mila Hermanovski (Los Angeles) – Season Seven, Second Runner-up – Her overly confident and opinionated personality took her to the final three in Season Seven, when she chose to show a black and white collection inspired by shadows at Bryant Park.
April Johnston (Savannah, Georgia) – Season Eight, Fifth Place – The second-youngest contestant ever to appear on Project Runway, best known for her dark textures and grunge-inspired pieces.
Michael Costello (Palm Springs) – Season Eight, Fourth Place – Most known for no formal training and his signature draping style, was followed by accusations and controversy throughout Season Eight.
Mondo Guerra (Denver) – Season Eight, Runner-up – Won three challenges in a row in Season Eight with his eye-popping and heart-felt designs, bravely revealed his HIV positive status on the show, placing second in one of Project Runway’s most talked-about endings ever.
These designers will each vie for the most lucrative prizing ever in Project Runway history. Prizes include an exclusive designer’s boutique in select Neiman Marcus stores and on NeimanMarcus.com, $100,000 dollars in technology and office space to help grow their business from HP and Intel, $100,000 cash from L’Oreal Paris, a feature spread in Marie Claire, for which he or she will serve as a guest editor for one year, and a sewing and embroidery studio provided by Brother International.
Lifetime has ordered twelve 60-minute episodes of Project Runway All Stars, which will be produced by The Weinstein Company and Bunim-Murray Productions. Executive producers include Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein (Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company), and Meryl Poster and Barbara Schneeweiss of The Weinstein Company, Jon Murray and Gil Goldschein of Bunim-Murray Productions, Rob Bagshaw (Top Chef Masters, Paradise Hotel) and Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and David Hillman of Lifetime Television.
