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Woman in red two piece set looking away from camera
Woman in red two piece set looking away from camera
Photo by Melody Jacob from Unsplash
Culture > Entertainment

Project Runway Reveals New Judges for the Upcoming Season

Sonia Anand
Emma Flusk
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.

Back in early September, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, and Zac Posen announced that they would be leaving  hit design show, “Project Runway.”

Tim and Heidi expressed their love for being on the show. However, they will be starring in a new venture with Amazon Studios. While I have loved the original judges for years on end, and have watched them critique some of the most amazing designs, I believe there needed to be a change for the show to stay exciting.

I remember when Project Runway was still in their early years, they hired mentors for each contestant to guide them with their designs.   A few years ago, they dropped that element and decided to make Tim Gunn every contestant’s mentor. This is an example of the change that the show needed to create a twist. According to Erin Crabtree’s article in US Weekly, Klum states “You know, it’s been stale for 16 years. It was great. But it needed something new to it.” I couldn’t agree more with her statement because adding a twist keeps the show exciting and you want to hear other people’s critiques in the industry. Not only that, but you’ll learn from them and get to know them better.

I will miss Tim, Heidi and Zac. However, Elle magazine’s Editor and Chief Nina Garcia will continue to be on the show and I am looking forward to seeing the new judges for Project Runway’s season 17. Their new judges include the youngest designer to ever win the competition, Christian Siriano, former Victoria’s Secret angel turned NYU student, Karlie Kloss, former Creative Director for “Teen Vogue” Elaine Welteroth and the renowned designer who’s Lady Gaga’s stylist, Brandon Maxwell.

I believe all of the new judges have earned their spots on the show because of their hard work and incredible impact on the fashion industry. They have made it to the top of the industry in different sectors from designing, to editorial and modeling. I am eager to learn from their critiques towards the contestants on the show and see what they will bring to the new season.

Season 17 is set to start in 2019 and will also be moving back to the TV network Bravo instead of Lifetime. I hope you guys are looking forward to seeing the new judges on the show as much as I am!

Sonia Anand

Montclair '21

Sonia Anand is a Senior at Montclair State University, studying Business Administration with a concentration in Management. Some of her passions include traveling the world, content creating, and luxury fashion. She is a dual national between the U.S. and UK and plans to hold an international career while experiencing living in different countries. With her extroverted and outgoing nature, she loves to take risks and push boundaries out of her comfort zone.
Emma Flusk

Montclair '19

Emma Flusk is recent graduate from Montclair State University, where she majored in Television and Digital Media. She was the Editor-in-Chief and a Campus Correspondent at Her Campus Montclair. She’s passionate about anything that has to do with lifestyle, beauty and wellness for women. She is a self-proclaimed craft queen, semi-pro binge-watcher and a lover of all dogs.