Project Runway: What Really Happens To The Designs After The Show Ends

The Emmy award-winning competition series "Project Runway" has been on an impressive 22 seasons. The popular show features contestants competing against each other to create the best clothes they can under a restricted time frame. While the series shook things up for Season 22, generating some serious complaints, generally speaking, each episode is judged by a panel of design experts, featuring a different theme. Typically one or more designers is eliminated every week. Once only a few participants remain, they complete fashion collections for New York Fashion Week, where the judges choose the winner. But with so many garments created each season, fans of the series have often wondered what really happens to the clothes. It turns out, you can, in fact, get your hands on many of the show's amazing creations.

In a 2019 Reddit thread, a fan of the show asked the since-deleted question: "Do the designers get to keep their collections and all the garments they made on the show? Can they sell them? Or are they locked in some Bravo or Lifetime production warehouse?" Viewers shared their varied replies — mere guesses, for the most part. One responded, "They were sold on ebay for some seasons. When there are guest models they keep them." However, contestants have since revealed what ultimately happens to so many of the designs viewers love the most.

With somewhere around 20 contestants per season, upwards of 10 challenges between the premiere and finale, and more than 20 seasons since 2004, there have been many garments painstakingly designed and made on "Project Runway" over the years. So, where are they now? During a Q&A with Palm Springs Life, Season 7 winner Seth Aaron Henderson revealed the truth about "Project Runway" and its clothes, explaining, "Everything is auctioned off immediately. The clothes that are produced by us go up for auction immediately after the show." But if a designer doesn't want their piece auctioned, it doesn't exactly sound like they have that option. Joshua McKinley Cook, Season 9's runner-up, joked, "It's clearly stated that these may or may not be finished." So, it sounds like the worst "Project Runway" looks of all time and the ones that were never completed were probably auctioned off, too.

What different garments have sold for varies, and of course, whether they were winners or losers on the show has an effect. No matter what the final price tag is, though, the earnings go to a good cause that changes from season to season. During Season 1, for example, proceeds reportedly went to Dress For Success, a nonprofit organization that supplies women in need with office-appropriate attire. So, the 'fits make money for a good cause, and some lucky fans have the most iconic outfits in "Project Runway" history hanging in their closets. It's basically a win all around.

If you've ever watched an episode of "Project Runway" and thought, "I wish I had that in my closet," you're definitely not alone. Luckily, you don't need to win an auction to get your hands on your favorite designs. For several seasons now, the series has allowed fans to have their say on which look from the episode is their favorite. Now, fans can vote on Instagram for the "fan-favorite look." The winning garment is then produced and sold on Bravo's website. While this may not be quite as special as having the exact piece you watched one of the contestants pour their blood, sweat, and tears into, it does allow you to get your hands on the look you love.

We all know each episode of "Project Runway" doesn't have a happy ending for every contestant, but at least the garments they've made will find their way to good homes. Some of them are even coveted enough to be manufactured and sold. As for the products of the famous "unconventional materials" challenges? We're pretty sure some of those had to end up in a recycling bin over the years.