|
 Heidi
Klum is more than just a host for Project Runway.
Now going into its tenth season, Klum has played a major
role in the production of the show from the beginning. A
core of the show, Heidi is a producer, host and judge. Long
before the episodes hit your TV, she is brainstorming with
the rest of the production team to plan for the upcoming
season.
Heidi is from the small West German city of Bergisch Gladbach.
She won a modeling competition before graduating high school.
In the nineties she came overseas to take America by storm.
She graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue
and sported lingerie for Victoria's Secret. She now owns
her own fragrance, jewelry and clothing lines. In 2008,
Klum was nominated for the first-ever best reality show
host Emmy, and along with her fellow nominees hosted the
ceremony.
This upcoming season of Project Runway will be their historical
10th season. The show has evolved tremendously in the last
10 seasons and she is excited about its success. There will
be plenty of drama and incredible designs in this new season
of Project Runway. Heidi Klum tells us more about it.
-------
Who can we expect to see as guest judges?
Obviously I can never give too many guest judges away,
but some people that I was allowed to mention was Patricia
Field. She has been a stylist. She has a store here in New
York City. She's very well known for doing Sex in the City,
The Devil Wears Prada. She does a lot of full movies and
television.
She's actually been one of our very first judges ever on
Project Runway. She did our very first challenge on our
very first season. So we thought it would be fun to bring
her back. She is a very well known New York woman. I love
her very much. So we brought her back ten seasons later.
For our very first challenge that we did in Times Square
we also had Lauren Graham. I can give her away. A lot of
people did see her when she was out with us here in Times
Square. Hayden Panettiere has been one of our guest judges.
Also Krysten Ritter, and I think I'm not allowed to give
anymore away.
What's it been like being back for the tenth season
for you, as the host and judge?
 It's
been amazing. It's been ten seasons and we all would've
never thought that we would make it this far. Michael always
says that we're on longer than I Love Lucy, which we always
laugh about and I can't believe it. But he Googled it and
he was like, "They did so many seasons and we did ten
seasons. We're on longer, on television, than I Love Lucy,"
and we always laugh about it because we all love I Love
Lucy. It's amazing. Ten seasons is a milestone. It's a long
time.
And I have to tell you even though we've been doing it
for ten seasons I still love coming to work every season.
I love being with Michael and I love being with Nina and
Tim. They're all so much fun, and we have become a family.
It is always exciting to see these new designers, to see
their story. They all have a different story to tell and
they're all passionate. They're young people that come here
with green eyes and not really knowing 100% what this business
is about and they're not jaded. It's always fun to have
these people that are so hungry for it all.
I don't know; we love it. We still laugh and we sit there
and have a great time. So it's exciting and we're proud
you know? We're very proud. I started Project Runway from
the very beginning. Going around New York City trying to
sell the show to networks and trying to explain what the
show was all about.
I'm very proud of it. It's like it's one of my babies.
I love the show and I love what it's become and we've got
a lot of fans and it's become a cult. Not a cult, but an
iconic kind of show that people recognize and we're all
very proud of it.
 Can
you tell us how you think this group of designers compares
to past groups, in terms of talent level?
It's always hard to compare because I never like to say
that this season we have more talented designers than previous
seasons because they were all always talented. And each
season fashion evolves and fashion becomes different and
so do our designers. I think we have some on this season
that are not that talented and we quickly see that. We have
some that are really amazing that have come up with new
things where we sit there and we're like, "Wow, we
haven't seen anything like that,' or, "You have a different
technique."
So it's always mixed. There are always some designers there
that aren't that great that we're hoping to be better and
they just aren't. And then there are some that blow us away
and they do beautiful work in the time that they have. So
it's always both, good and bad …
How would you say that they compare in terms of temperament?
Some seasons are more dramatic than others. Is this one
more dramatic or more low key?
It's also mixed. Our show is based on talent. It's not
based on having characters on. I feel like there are so
many shows out there that just put people on because they
look a certain way or they talk in a certain way or they're
goofy and funny or they do a lot for show or they do a lot
for TV.
I think we're had longevity of a great show because it
is about fashion and that is the main focus about our show.
I think that's why people appreciate what we put on the
air. That it's not about gossip and who sleeps with whom
and who does what and who is getting on who's nerves.
Obviously, when things happen, we do show some of it, but
this is not what our show is based on. Our show is based
on fashion and I think people appreciate that and I think
that's why we have been out for so long.
But, people in the fashion industry; they're very proud
and they are designers and they stand behind what they make.
So there's always friction and there's always jealousy amongst
them and they think one did something better than the other.
That always happens.
So I'm wondering in all that time, are there any particular
fashions that stand out? Any finished products as being
just your absolute favorites or maybe something that was
just the worst thing in ten seasons that you saw?
I personally always love the pieces that actually get
to go out there in the real world. We've donethings for
example with Banana Republic where people could buy things
or where they created something for Barbie to wear. I mean
obviously I love the challenges where they have to use unconventional
materials and yes, those pieces do stand out for me.
 We
had, for example, a challenge with a car where they had
to use materials that were part of the car. Someone made
a beautiful trench coat out of seatbelts or the mirror of
the car and broke it and made jewelry out of it or it was
part of the dress. They get really creative when they don't
actually have fabrics and I always love that.
The same with Austin Scarlett and his very first challenge,
which was also a big thing for us, was Project Runway going
to work or not when we did the challenge where they had
to go to the grocery store and Austin Scarlett made this
cornhusk dress. So I love those too.
But I like the pieces that actually go out there for people
to buy, because our designers are so proud when people can
actually buy their pieces. They've designed things for me
for my New Balance line before and people can buy this and
they can say, "Oh yes, this is one of the Project Runway
designers." Or for example, this season the designers
get to design a new outfit for the Rockettes.
This is something that will go down in history, and I love
that, because even 10 or 20 seasons down the line when people
do documentaries about the Rockettes and their costumes,
it is something that will never go away. That is not something
that will be forgotten.
I went to Radio City Hall and I saw all the costumes that
they had on the mannequins. They've been around since the
40s, and now there are all these beautiful show outfits
that they've worn and now there will be one for all the
39 Rockettes that a Project Runway designer did. I love
that. It really means that we were part of other things
too than just Project Runway. It's great for these designers.
That also is one of my favorite challenges. I always love
it when reality all of the sudden comes into it and people
get to see their design in different places than just on
our runway.
|
