Project Runway | |
---|---|
Season 1 | |
No. of tasks | 10 |
No. of contestants | 12 |
Winner | Jay McCarroll |
No. of episodes | 11 |
Release | |
Original network | Bravo |
Original release | December 1, 2004 – February 23, 2005 |
Season chronology |
Project Runway Season 1 was the first season of Project Runway , Bravo's reality competition show for fashion designers. The season received critical acclaim including an Emmy nomination for outstanding competitive reality series. Growth in audience popularity was also dramatic from its debut to the season finale, making it a sleeper hit. Project Runway gave Bravo one of its most successful series since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy .
The winning designer of the first season was Pennsylvania-based designer Jay McCarroll. As his prize for winning the competition among 12 designers, McCarroll won $100,000, a mentorship with Banana Republic to aid in developing his own fashion label, and a feature of his work in the American edition of ELLE magazine. The winning model of the first season, selected by McCarroll, was Julia Beynon. McCarroll later turned down both the $100,000 and the mentorship with Banana Republic, stating that the prizes came with too much contractual baggage. [1]
Austin Scarlett later appeared in Project Runway: All Stars in 2012, where he finished runner-up. Wendy Pepper, in the same year, competed in the second season of the All Stars edition placing 12th out of 13. In 2016, Daniel Franco competed in the fifth season of the All Stars edition, placing 12th out of 13. In 2023, Nora Pagel and Kara Saun appeared in Project Runway (season 20) with Nora placing 14th and Kara placing 7th out of 14.
Contestant | Age | Hometown | Finish | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel Franco | 28 | Los Angeles, California | Episode 1 | 12 |
Mario Cadenas | 23 | Miami, Florida | Episode 2 | 11 |
Starr Ilzhoefer | 27 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Episode 3 | 10 |
Vanessa Riley | 34 | Houston, Texas | Episode 4 | 9 |
Nora Caliguri | 21 | Cheshire, Connecticut | Episode 5 | 8 |
Alexandra Vidal | 22 | Miami, Florida | Episode 6 | 7 |
Kevin Johnn | 44 | New York, New York | Episode 7 | 6 |
Robert Plotkin | 28 | New York, New York | Episode 8 | 5 |
Austin Scarlett | 23 | New York, New York | Episode 9 | 4 |
Wendy Pepper † | 39 | Middleburg, Virginia | Episode 11 | 3 |
Kara Saun | 37 | Los Angeles, California | 2 | |
Jay McCarroll | 29 | Dallas, Pennsylvania | 1 |
The 12 models competing for an ELLE spread in the first season were:
Model | Age | Hometown | Place Finished |
---|---|---|---|
Mary Henderson | 19 | Texas | 12th |
Alison Zebelian | 19 | Michigan | 11th |
Josiane Barboza | 21 | Brazil | 10th |
Audrey Chihocky | 18 | Virginia | 9th |
Joy Pursell | 21 | Texas | 8th |
Morgan Quinn | 21 | Iowa | 7th |
Erin Denardo | 21 | New Jersey | 6th |
Olga Kononova | 18 | Czech Republic | 5th |
Martinique Mitchell | 21 | California | 4th |
Melissa Haro | 17 | California | 3rd |
Jenny Toth | 22 | Ohio | Runner-up |
Julia Beynon | 20 | California | Winner |
This table possibly contains original research .(October 2016) |
Designers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | Eliminated Episode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jay | IN | IN | HIGH | IN | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | WINNER | 10 - Finale |
Kara | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | LOW | RUNNER-UP | |
Wendy | LOW | LOW | WIN | LOW | IN | LOW | LOW | LOW | WIN | 3RD PLACE | |
Austin | WIN | IN | LOW | LOW | LOW | WIN | LOW | LOW | OUT | 9 - Design For The Red Carpet | |
Robert | IN | HIGH | LOW | IN | IN | HIGH | HIGH | OUT | 8 - Postal Uniform Challenge | ||
Kevin | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | LOW | OUT | 7 - Design A Collection | |||
Alexandra | IN | IN | HIGH | HIGH | IN | OUT | 6 - Making A Splash | ||||
Nora | HIGH | LOW | IN | LOW | OUT | 5 - "Model" Clients | |||||
Vanessa | HIGH | IN | IN | OUT | 4 - Collaboration | ||||||
Starr | LOW | LOW | OUT | 3 - Commercial Appeal | |||||||
Mario | IN | OUT | 2 - Vision | ||||||||
Daniel | OUT | 1 - Innovation |
^Note 1 : Although Nora's team was voted the best, the judges thought that Nora's teamwork was very poor, therefore she was placed in the bottom two.
This table possibly contains original research .(October 2016) |
Designers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jay | IN | HIGH | HIGH | IN | IN | LOW | WIN | HIGH | HIGH | WINNER |
Kara | IN | WIN | WIN | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
Wendy | IN | IN | IN | LOW | HIGH | LOW | LOW | LOW | OUT | 3RD PLACE |
Austin | WIN | HIGH | IN | LOW | OUT | WIN | HIGH | LOW | LOW | |
Robert | HIGH | IN | IN | HIGH | WIN | HIGH | OUT | OUT | ||
Kevin | IN | IN | HIGH | WIN | LOW | OUT | LOW | |||
Alexandra | IN | IN | LOW | IN | IN | IN | ||||
Nora | HIGH | IN | LOW | IN | LOW | |||||
Vanessa | IN | LOW | IN | OUT | ||||||
Starr | OUT | LOW | OUT | |||||||
Mario | LOW | OUT | ||||||||
Daniel | LOW |
Model | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Finale |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Julia | AV | AV | JM | AS | AS | JM | JM | JM | JM | JM | WINNER |
Jenny | JM | KJ | NC | KS | KS | KS | KS | KS | KS | KS | OUT |
Melissa | RP | RP | AS | KJ | NC | AS | WP | WP | WP | WP | OUT |
Martinique | KJ | AS | KS | AV | RP | WP | KJ | AS | AS | OUT | |
Olga | AS | MC | KJ | VR | KJ | RP | RP | RP | OUT | ||
Erin | MC | WP | AV | JM | AV | AV | AS | OUT | |||
Morgan | KS | VR | VR | WP | JM | KJ | OUT | ||||
Joy | VR | NC | SI | NC | WP | OUT | |||||
Audrey | SI | SI | WP | RP | OUT | ||||||
Josiane | WP | KS | RP | OUT | |||||||
Alison | NC | JM | OUT | ||||||||
Mary | DF | OUT |
Designer legend
Original airdate: December 1, 2004
Designers created a sexy, glamorous outfit for a night on the town made only from materials bought at a Manhattan supermarket. The designers had a budget of $50 and one hour to make their purchases. They had one day to complete the design and the winner had immunity for the next challenge and could not be eliminated.
Original airdate: December 8, 2004
Designers used plain white cotton jersey to build a garment that conveys "envy." They had a budget of $50 and one day to complete the design.
Original airdate: December 15, 2004
Designers created a holiday dress to fit with Banana Republic's current line. They had to pick their fabrics at the studios and had two days to complete their designs.
Original airdate: January 5, 2005
The designers created a new look for rising rock star Sarah Hudson. A team event with three teams, each with a lead designer and two assistants. Each team had $150 and one day to complete the design.
Team | Team Leader | Team Members (in the order of being chosen) |
---|---|---|
1 | Kevin | Nora, Alexandra |
2 | Jay | Kara, Robert |
3 | Austin | Wendy, Vanessa |
Original airdate: January 12, 2005
Working with their chosen models, the designers created a wedding dress for that model. The designers had a budget of $300 and two days to complete the design.
Original airdate: January 19, 2005
Designers made swimsuits, then attended an evening party with their swimsuit-clad models. The designers had a budget of $75 and five hours to complete their garments. The winner was the designer who received a mention from New York Post reporter Richard Johnson on "Page Six," the newspaper's gossip column.
Original airdate: January 26, 2005
Designers created a collection for the year 2055 as one team. Kevin was the team leader for this challenge. Each designer had a budget of $50 and one day to complete the collection.
Designer | Type Of Look |
---|---|
Austin | 2055 Cocktail Party Dress |
Robert | 2055 Streetwear |
Kevin | 2055 Service Uniform |
Wendy | 2055 Youth Outfit |
Jay | 2055 Nightclub Outfit |
Kara | 2055 Business Suit |
Original airdate: February 2, 2005
Designers redesigned the uniform worn by United States Postal Service workers. The designers had a budget of $100 and one day to complete the design. This episode is particularly notable for the fact that Jay's model was unable to attend the runway showing in time. As a result, Austin walked in her place and received positive feedback for doing so by the judges.
Original airdate: February 9, 2005
Designers created a dress for Access Hollywood reporter Nancy O'Dell to wear to the Grammys. The designers had $300 and two days to complete the design.
Original airdate: February 16, 2005
All of the participating designers gathered for a reunion hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn on the eve of Olympus New York Fashion Week at which the final three designers displayed their collections.
Original airdate: February 23, 2005
The final three designers—Jay, Kara Saun and Wendy—were visited by Tim Gunn at their homes to show the progress of their collections. Each designer created a twelve piece collection for a showing at New York Olympus Fashion Week. Kara Saun had designer shoes created for her collection, however producers determined that was in breach of the contract.
Project Runway Season 2 was the second season of Bravo's successful Project Runway, a reality competition for fashion designers. Season 2 began airing on December 7, 2005. Following a nationwide search earlier in the year, sixteen designers were chosen as semi-finalists and brought to New York City in June 2005. After the first challenge, called "Road To The Runway", fourteen went on to compete as finalists. The winning designer, Chloe Dao, received $100,000 in seed money to help launch her own line, a 2007 Saturn Sky roadster, a spread in ELLE magazine, and a mentorship with the Banana Republic Design Team. Winning alongside Dao was her model, Grace Kelsey, who received the ELLE Magazine spread. Michael Kors and Nina Garcia returned as judges for the second season. The fourth judging seat rotated each week, based on the challenge. Tim Gunn, fashion chair at Parsons The New School for Design, returned as a mentor for the designers.
Project Runway Season 5 began filming the first week of June 2008 and premiered July 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. It was the final season of Project Runway that aired on Bravo. Subsequent seasons were shown on Lifetime.
Project Runway Australia was picked up for a second season by the Arena channel. The season premiered on 8 July 2009. The season concluded on 15 September 2009, with Anthony Capon being announced the winner of the second season of Project Runway.
Project Runway Season 6, premiered on Lifetime on August 20, 2009, the first season to be aired on that network. The production of this season started in September 2008 and finished the pre-finale filming on October 17, 2008. It is the only season of Project Runway filmed at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
Project Runway Season 7 is the seventh season of the television show Project Runway. The first episode aired on January 14, 2010, on Lifetime.
Project Runway Australia 3 is the third season of the reality competition Project Runway Australia, airing on Arena. It premiered on 4 July 2011.
Project Runway Season 9 is the ninth season of the television show Project Runway. The season began airing on July 28, 2011, and features 20 designers who hope to become "the next great American designer."
Project Runway All Stars is the first season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. It features 13 designers from seasons 1–8 of the original series with a new host, new judges and a new mentor. It premiered on Lifetime on January 5, 2012.
Project Runway Season 10 is the tenth season of the television show Project Runway, appearing on Lifetime. The season began airing on July 19, 2012 with 16 designers competing to become "the next great American designer."
Project Runway All Stars is the second season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. It featured 13 designers from seasons 1-9 of the original series with a new host, Carolyn Murphy. The judges, Georgina Chapman and Isaac Mizrahi as well as mentor, Joanna Coles, returned. The season premiered on Lifetime on October 25, 2012.
Project Runway Australia 4 is the fourth installment of the reality competition Project Runway Australia, airing on Arena. The series premiered on 8 October 2012.
Project Runway Season 12 is the twelfth season of the television show Project Runway, appearing on Lifetime. The season began airing on July 18, 2013 with 15 designers competing to become "the next great American designer." Kate Pankoke, a designer from Season 11 returned to compete once again for the grand prize. Pankoke was voted back by fans in an online poll, winning against Ra'mon Lawrence Coleman of Season 6, and Valerie Mayen of Season 8.
Project Runway All Stars is the third season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. It features 11 designers from previous seasons of the original series with Alyssa Milano acting as the new host, taking over Carolyn Murphy's role in season 2. Georgina Chapman and Isaac Mizrahi returned as judges for this season. Zanna Roberts Rassi replaced Joanna Coles, mentoring contestants. The season premiered on Lifetime on October 24, 2013.
Project Runway All Stars is the fourth season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. It features 14 designers from previous seasons of the original series with Alyssa Milano returning as both host and judge. TV fashion correspondent and Marie Claire’s Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi returns to mentor contestants.
Project Runway Season 14 is the fourteenth season of the television show Project Runway, appearing on Lifetime. The season began on August 6, 2015. There were 16 designers competing to become "the next great American designer." Supermodel Heidi Klum, Marie Claire creative director Nina Garcia, and fashion designer Zac Posen all returned as judges this season. Tim Gunn maintained his role as the workroom mentor.
Project Runway All Stars is the fifth season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. It features 13 designers from previous seasons of the original series and Project Runway: Under the Gunn with Alyssa Milano returning as both host and judge. TV fashion correspondent and Marie Claire’s Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi also returns to mentor contestants.
Project Runway Season 15 is the fifteenth season of the television show Project Runway, appearing on Lifetime. The season began on September 15, 2016, and attracted 1.72 million total viewers. There are 16 designers competing to become "the next great American designer." Supermodel Heidi Klum, Marie Claire creative director Nina Garcia, and fashion designer Zac Posen are all returning as judges this season. Tim Gunn maintains his role as the workroom mentor.
Project Runway Season 16 is the sixteenth season of the television show Project Runway, appearing on Lifetime. The season began on Thursday, August 17, 2017. There are 16 designers competing to become "the next great American designer." Supermodel Heidi Klum, Marie Claire creative director Nina Garcia, and fashion designer Zac Posen are all returning as judges this season. Tim Gunn maintains his role as the workroom mentor. This was the last season to air on Lifetime and the last to feature Klum, Gunn, and Posen.
Project Runway All Stars is the seventh season of the Project Runway spin-off series Project Runway All Stars. The concept of the edition was Champions. It featured fourteen winning designers - seven being winners of the American version of Project Runway, and seven being winners of foreign versions of Project Runway. This was the last season of Project Runway to air on Lifetime. Alyssa Milano returned as host and both Georgina Chapman and Isaac Mizrahi likewise returned as judges, along with one to three guest judges each week. The show premiered on January 2, 2019 on Lifetime.
The twentieth season of Project Runway was announced to air with a two-part premiere on Bravo on June 15, 2023. To celebrate this milestone season, the show invited fourteen designers from across all nineteen seasons to return for an All-Stars format competition instead of appearing on its separate spin-off show, Project Runway All Stars, which was retired after the bankruptcy of its former production company, The Weinstein Company.