Project Runway Season 8 debuted on July 29, 2010 on the Lifetime Network. The first episode featured 17 designers competing16 spots on the show.
Project Runway Designers
Once again, the designers were as unique as their designers. They are all ages, from 21 to 50, from all parts of the United States and each with a unique point of view when it comes to design.
- Peach Carr, 50, from Lake Forest, IL
- Carlos Casanova, 33, from Astoria, NY
- Christopher Collins, 30, from San Francisco , CA
- Michael Costello, 27, from Palm Springs, CA
- Nicholas D'Aurizio, 32, from New York, NY
- Michael Drummond, 31, from St. Louis, MO
- Mondo Guerra, 32, from Denver, CO
- Kristin Haskins Simms, 39, from Philadelphia, PA
- Ivy Higa, 30, from New York, NY
- April Johnston, 21, from Savannah, GA
- Gretchen Jones, 28, from Portland, OR
- McKell Maddox, 29, from Layton, UT
- Valerie Mayen, 29, from Cleveland, OH
- Andy South, 23, from Waipahu, HI
- A.J. Thouvenot, 26, from St. Charles, MO
- Jason Troisi, 33, from Greenwich, CT
- Sarah Trost, 27, from Toluca Lake, CA
The Judges: Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Heidi Klum
There were familiar faces on the judging panel for season 8.
Heidi Klum, 37, a German American fashion model, also host and executive producer of Project Runway. She is also host, judge and co-producer of Germany’s Next Topmodel.
Michael Kors, 51, American fashion designer of the runway collection “Michael Kors,” mid-tier collection “KORS Michael Kors,” and ready-to-wear “MICHAEL Michael Kors” labels.
Nina Garcia, 45, born Ninotchka Garcia de Castellanos in Colombia, is the Fashion Director at Marie Claire magazine.
The eighth season of Project Runway extended the episodes from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. This was apparent in the first episode, the extended format allowed time to show the designers meeting each other in groups in various parts of New York City. The groups then met Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn in Lincoln Center, the new site of Fashion Week, for their first challenge.
The first challenge – which would determine the 16 designers to officially make it on the show – was for each designer to select an item from his or her suitcase, and then pass it to the designer on their right, who then had to create a new look incorporating that garment. This lead to some angst for the designers who selected one of their most prized garments, not realizing it would then be cut and redesigned into something else.
The designers went to Parson’s School of Design to complete the challenge, and in another new twist, Mood Fabric Store came to them, instead of the designers taking a trip to Mood. However, the on-site Mood store has not been featured in the following episodes.
Runway Show
The guest judge for the first episode was actress Selma Blair. After showing their looks on the runway, April, Casanova, Ivy, Nicholas, Jason and McKell were in the bottom, with McKell being eliminated. Only one designer was named among the top, and was subsequently named the winner that week – Gretchen. As such, McKell’s model Vanessa was also eliminated.
Maggie Wolff - Maggie has over seven years of experience in public relations and marketing in the fields of healthcare, performing arts, and professional ...
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