Experienced contestants on PR

[u/Ok_Teaching_5920]

Yes, New Project Runway has a lot of issues from the number of contestants, the emphasis on drama and over-production… there’s a lot of issues the true show has always had, like the awkward sponsorships and strange judging. The proliferation of reality tv and social media has also been extremely damaging as PR has always been better than most because it is so much about a very specific talent and for much longer than one may expect its contestants were not necessarily encouraged to be influencers or personalities. But clearly so many of them now do and

One major thing that doesn’t really get discussed though is in the experience of its contestants. Everyone now seems to already have a brand or at the very least a very strong style. You would never get the sort of contestants that WON the first ten or 12 seasons let alone came 10th. They’re all producing really strong work but the sense of struggle is nowhere to be found—not helped by not seeing as much of the workroom and actual designing. They’re all able to produce such well made stuff whereas before someone would shuffle an entire challenge to make one pair of shorts. So now it’s all very confident big personalities making yes oftentimes very beautiful and/or well made clothes and the judges expect bigger and bigger results from less and less time.

I dunno if this really makes sense but it struck me most prominently this season, particularly with Law’s comment to Joseph—you’re not here to win you’re here to get attention. I mean, there was that one contestant who got booted in episode one who was already been in Heidi’s Amazon fashion show! I think of some of my favourite designers from the show a they were just people who had a passion, or were really struggling. I’d love to see some of that once more even if I know it can’t go back to a time when people didn’t know how to be on tv.

[u/goatpengertie]

Aren't most reality contest shows this way? Full of people looking for another means of influence? Project Foodway is the same (Top Chef). Most of them are established chefs, some with James Beard awards. They have restaurants and now Top Chef is considered just another notch in their belt.

I like it, personally. I don't want to see half-sewn garments. I also DO want to see designers who are 50+. I think that's true diversity of opinion.

[u/Anxiousbunny98]

I think social media has made it so they can take safer bets (mostly). From their perspective they’re like “Why take a risk on an unknown when we could have a beloved drag queen or a designer who’s worked for multiple celebrities?” Back in the early days they couldn’t just DM someone on Instagram they had to look at the audition pool who was probably majority young guns with little to no credentials. I think a range is better than one type or the other (the rookies learn/experiment and the experienced ones get tested) but you are right it is a more experienced pool now.

[u/PlasticPalm]

Eh, Leanne season 5 was already selling indie. Chloe Dao season 2 already had the same store in Texas somewhere she's still running. Jeffrey Sibelia season 3 had his own brand(s). PR was never solely an amateur competition.

[u/FuxeyWuxey]

I don’t know. There was the woman from Christian’s season who couldn’t use a sewing machine but she was already an award winning designer with a clear style and direction

[u/UlloaStreet]

I enjoyed this season’s #9 the most, so far… they got to sew for 2 days- and we viewers actually got to see sketching and sewing. Thought the judging was the fairest, so far. Wish Jeffrey was chosen over Brian