Project Runway Season 19 - Here's What We Can Tell Fans So Far
"Project Runway" is a reality competition series that shows off the best of the best in fashion design. Each season, contestants reveal their custom-made garments to a panel of judges, hoping to make it to the final runway show ... and to win the grand prize. However, you know what they say: "In fashion, one day you're in, and the next day, you're out," meaning participants are cut from the contest regularly.
On April 7, Bravo announced that "Project Runway" would be coming back for another season, and on July 1, the official Instagram account of the TV show posted a teaser video, stating that Season 19 will be here soon. The post, which features the judges striking stylish poses, says, "Clear the runway! Fashion gets back to work in a new season of #ProjectRunway."
When will it be here, though? Who will be on it? Keep reading to learn more about this Emmy-winning series!
What's the release date for Project Runway Season 19?
This is what fans mostly want to know: When will more episodes of "Project Runway" be here? Well, when it came to Season 18, it premiered in December 2019, and filming wrapped up in March the following year, as the finale always takes place at New York Fashion Week (via OtakuKart). Season 19 was reportedly supposed to start production in February 2020, which could have led to a release in December of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, pushing back start dates and shutting down projects.
Bravo stated that work started on this new season in the spring, and that could mean a return in the fall, which is just around the corner! There is no official release date out there yet, though, so just hang tight. It could be any time this year, or sadly, it could even get pushed back again, all the way to 2022.
Who will make up the cast on the new season of Project Runway?
Since "Project Runway" started in 2004, it has featured so many talented and entertaining cast members. Its winners have included Jay McCarroll, Chloe Dao, Jeffrey Sebelia, Christian Siriano, Seth Aaron Henderson, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Michelle Lesniak, and Dom Streater, to name a few (via Insider). Last year, Geoffrey Mac was the winner, and the runners-up of the tight competition were Victoria Cocieru, Sergio Guadarrama, and Nancy Volpe-Beringer (via People).
At this time, the Season 19 cast has not been announced, so it is not known who will be competing, and it is definitely not known who will make it to the final runway show and win the entire thing! What is known is that casting applications are on Project Runway's casting page, allowing people from around the world to apply for this opportunity, which can lead to fame, popularity, fortune, success, and a very unique time in New York City.
Who will judge Season 19 of Project Runway?
As far as the judges go, Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell, and Elaine Welteroth are returning to "Project Runway," and Christian Siriano, who won Season 4 of the competition, will return as the designers' mentor. There is a notable change, however: Since "Project Runway" moved from Lifetime and back to Bravo in 2019, Karlie Kloss has been the host, after replacing Heidi Klum. It has been announced that for Season 19, Kloss will only be making "guest appearances" (via TVLine).
This change could be because Karlie Kloss and her husband, Joshua Kushner, welcomed their first child into the world in March. Yes, Kloss is married to Kushner, and his name even came up on the series last season. The challenge was to design a dress that Kloss could wear, and when it came to Tyler Neasloney's look, Maxwell said he couldn't picture Kloss wearing it. "Not even to dinner with the Kushners?" Neasloney asked (via Variety).
Rumors have been circling about who will appear on the series and when it will actually return
The reality show's Instagram account shared that a new season is "coming soon," and Mimi Tao, the first transgender model to be on the show, commented, "Can't wait, Don't make us wait for so long." A fan then asked if the model was coming back, to which Tao replied, "stay tuned."
Dani Fonseca also turned to Instagram to talk of memories of watching the first season of "Project Runway" and about "doing makeup on the historical first taping of this show during the tail end of this crazy pandemic." This post, from May 20, included the hashtags #projectrunwayseason19 and #nospoilersdontask.
On April 22, 2020, designer Robin Capp shared what looked like an email regarding a casting update for Season 19 of "Project Runway," along with a caption that said, "I'm so honored for this I'm gonna work as hard as I can on the skills I need to polish #projectrunway #projectrunwayseason19" (via Instagram).
And, of course, there have been discussions about who is coming back and when on Facebook. One fan wrote, "This Spring? Like next year? Still no definitive answer as to when it is starting," and this received a reply saying, "NY Fashion Week is 9/8-9/12 this year. So, I'm guessing the new season will air after that?" Another commenter said, "Sometime in October y'all. Stay tuned for a date." and "Elaine Welteroth went live on Instagram a month ago and said it's [returning] in October."