Fashion Designers Can Learn from the TV
Two popular fashion inspired shows continue to take the nation by storm. Lifetime’s Project Runway and NBC‘s Fashion Star are inspiring would be designers across America. TV has combined some great reality shows with up and coming fashion leaders. If you can’t wait to catch the next episode but also don’t have the time to catch it during its scheduled time pick up an HD DVR to record everything from your favorite show.
DirecTV has the most advanced DVR on the market, sign up for DirecTV using SaveOnTVDirect for specials on new subscriptions. Read below for more details about each show:
Project Runway premiered in 2004 on the Bravo Network and was an instant hit. In its first season, it was even nominated for an Emmy honoring it as an outstanding competitive reality series. Its 12th season begins in the summer of 2013 and features judges Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen.
What is the basis of the show?
Project Runway is a reality competition in which 12 designers fight for the right to develop their own clothing lines and present it at a runway show. There are challenges along that way that test the designers’ ingenuity and ability to create aesthetically pleasing clothing items. Examples of some of the challenges include having to make a garment from recyclable materials, apartment furnishings, items found in a grocery store or the clothes the designers happen to be wearing at the time of the challenge.
The designer contestants will be eliminated through these various challenges until only three remain. Those three designers have to prepare a complete fashion collection, which is then presented at the New York Fashion Week. They are given 12 weeks and $8,000 in which to create these collections.
The winner is chosen by the judges based on their ability to successfully complete the final test. Whoever wins the contest receives $100,000 and is allowed to start their own design line. Other prizes are sometimes thrown in as well.
What can up-and-coming fashion designers learn from the show?
Individuals who dream of becoming a major fashion designer are given the ability to see what it really takes to make it in the world of fashion. This will inspire some individuals to try harder to make their own way into the fashion arena while others may be put off by the intensity of the fashion industry.
Fashion Star: This American reality fashion series features host Louise Roe and mentors John Varvatos, Nichole Richie and Jessica Simpson. It is a newer series as it just completed its second successful season.
What is the basis of the show?
The show is similar to Project Runway in that designers compete against each other to remain on the show. However, there are some notable differences. On Fashion Star, 14 designers are given weekly challenges to create clothing with a certain function, feel and look. The contests then display their work to three potential buyers those being Nicole Christie of H&M, Terron E. Schaefer of Saks Fifth Avenue and Caprice Willard of Macy’s. The design that is purchased will be for sell the next day online at the buyer’s store. This is a big motivation for designers and a well-liked feature of Fashion Star. If no buyers are found for a contestant’s designs, the contestant is sent home. That is unless one of the celebrity mentors saves them. However, they can only save one designer each week.
How will Fashion Star help an inexperienced designer?
This shows encourages young would be designers to think practically in terms of selling their items in a store to real people. However, it still features the clothing items on a runway in a glamorous setting.
What is the difference between the two shows?
Fashion Star makes an effort to answer the question who other than a supermodel would wear these clothing items? They encourage their designers to think in terms of real people wearing their creations instead of supermodels. This is a notable difference between the two shows. Project Runway designers’ create items that look spectacular on supermodels but probably wouldn’t work well in real life.
Each show is worthy of admiration for the light it shines on the fashion industry. Both shows will inspire would be designers will be inspired to keep seeking their dream of becoming a famous fashion designer. more project runway related stories.