Looking for the next iconic fashion designer is a hard task but it doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting and engaging. At the Project Runway Philippines interactive press launch earlier, we discovered that it isn’t just knowing your fashion, but also about immersing yourself in the experience.
The event kicked off with some words from Project Runway Philippines host Tweetie De Leon-Gonzalez and designer Jojie Lloren who serves as one of the judges of the show along with Rajo Laurel and Apples Aberin. Afterwards, the four walls of The Eye at Green Sun turned into surround screens that showed a full trailer of what to expect from the show, from the mentors’ surprise contestant saves to the anonymous runway challenges.
Of course, the program wouldn’t have been complete without a fashion show featuring the contestants’ sample works. From fully beaded creations to androgynous patchwork jackets, it was a showcase of fashion as theater. Just ask designer and guest judge Josie Natori: “Some of the designers are even more fabulous than the models!” In a stand-out yellow ensemble, the New York-based designer will bring in her international expertise for the crucial finale.
This season, not only will the winner receive a cash prize of P500,000, a trip to London,and a full fashion spread in Mega magazine, among other prizes, but he or she will also be part of the upcoming Manila Fashion Festival spring/summer 2016 show. Season three alumni Cheetah Rivera shares, “What’s important for the contestants is not only what they do in the competition, but also what they do after. You can pursue your career even after the show and of course, I want all of them to succeed.”
As the event wound down, Tweetie tells us, “If you’ve been in fashion for as long as I’ve been, it’s always exciting to see new talent, a new dish, a new flavor, so to speak, and that will always inspire you whether you are in the fashion industry or simply watching the show.”
Project Runway season four premieres on June 14, Sunday at 8 p.m. on ETC.
Photos by Jash Manuel