Project Runway Season Summaries: A Must Read for Fashion Designers

Looking for some real inspiration in fashion design? Project Runway can be your rescue. This fast-paced American reality TV series has caught many eyeballs. Judged by the best of designers in the panel, Project Runway has successfully captured not only the passionate contestants but also the astonishing apparel that are produced. This reality TV is sure to offer a lot of ideas with entertainment to the modern designers of today.

What is Project Runway?

A group of smart and talented fashion designers compete against each other to create excellent fashion. The jury consists of the most successful designers starring Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and many more across the seasons. The aim is to create the best apparel within the restricted time, theme, and materials provided. Elimination of contestants is a part of the process until the final round in which the designers have to create complete fashion collections for the New York Fashion Week. Finally, the winner bags a huge cash prize and great recognition to lead their own fashion aspirations.

A Launchpad for New Designers

Project Runway offers a lot of promise for new designers who are yet to establish themselves in the industry. You can find numerous personalities — someone who is pursuing fashion as a fun hobby, someone who is very serious about fashion but cannot find the right exposure, someone who is already a great designer but doesn't have enough resources to start their own brand. 

Designers from all over the world have participated in Project Runway and many communities have found representation. It is a buzzing atmosphere for designers to learn from the highly acclaimed judges as well as the amazing work of other participants.

Project Runway is a great learning-based competitive platform. Every season has a new set of challenges that can be truly mind-boggling at times. But it's always amazing to see how each designer finds a way through them. While the designers stick to the theme, they also bring their personal stories and diversity. Some of them do it amazingly while others may not meet the mark. It's not always the jury that decides the standards but also the participants competing against each other and trying to create something unique and extraordinary. 

Best challenges in Project Runway

There have been numerous challenges that have come up in more than 18 seasons of the Project Runway. These challenges are created to test the versatility and creativity of the designer. There are team challenges as well as individual challenges. Each of these is crucial as a stepping stone for a successful designer.

Many non-traditional materials are introduced as themes. Some of these challenges can be excruciatingly difficult but there is always a creative way out. The producers of the show have very thoughtfully incorporated elements that are meant to test the designers in every dimension. Moreover, they are very fun to watch for even those who are not designers simply because they are so creative.

Some of the themes are repeatedly used in different seasons but there are also new unconventional challenges that are incorporated with great pomp. Here we are listing some of the top challenges in the series that have made the fashion industry go gaga.

Design challenge	Description
Recyclable materials	As the name suggests, the participants are to use recyclable materials in their garments. This is a very thoughtful initiative to create fashionable clothing from paper, packaging materials, and so on. Many versions of the challenge have also been used like newspaper garments and even items taken directly from trash cans.
Fashion that drives you	The designers are to create a fashionable garment with items from car parts. Heavyweight materials are used such as car seat covers, seat belts, mirrors, and so on.
Flower party	In this challenge, the designers are to create a garment with flowers, petals, and leaves. Flowers are not used as decorative items, instead, they are used to make them.
Design your own fabric	A super-innovative and difficult challenge that asked the designers to create their own fabrics which would include the colours, the material, and the texture that has not been used ever before.
When I get my dress in lights	This challenge asked the contestants to use light effects in their garments including neon lights, LEDs and other lights on the clothes. The ramp was set in a dark room and the clothes glowed beautifully to highlight the model.
The ‘rainway’	This innovative challenge turned the ramp walk into a rain walk. The ramp was showered by rain and the models had to walk in waterproof clothing that is not boring at all.

The Project Runway series is the perfect TV series to inspire out-of-the-box ideas. While many challenges can be unconventional, they all have something to give away for the creator in you. It rightly brings out the message that fashion can be found in every way with passion and your unique sense of individuality.