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Heidi Klum & "Project Runway" Judges Take Over Fashion Week

Heidi Klum & "Project Runway" Judges Take Over Fashion Week

7:30·By Gemma G
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YH hits the catwalk at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City where we catch up with the judges and host of "Project Runway" to get the scoop on the 12th season of the hit competition series! Nina Garcia shows off her Google Glass and explains her #BeNina initiative; Zac Posen discusses his journey from a young designer to a judge on the Lifetime show; and Heidi Klum offers some great advice to other up-and-coming designers! Hosted by Carly Henderson (@woah_carly).

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Young Hollywood

Hey guys, Carly here with Young Hollywood. We are in New York City at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. We're about to go in and chat with the Project Runway judges, Zac Posen as well as Nina Garcia. We've got the one and only hostest with the mostest, Heidi Klum. I can't wait. Let's go do this.

Young Hollywood

Hey guys, Carly here with Project Runway judge Nina Garcia. She is rocking the Google Glass. So tell us about this, how's your experience been with it?

Nina Garcia

It's been, this is a very exciting experience for me, the Google Glasses because I'm obsessed with technology and usually when I'm at the shows, I'm the one with the iPhone. I'm tweeting. I'm Instagramming. And now there's the Glass. So it is what I've come up with this season is that I want to have the audience experience what it's like to be Nina. So we've created #beNina.

Young Hollywood

Okay.

Nina Garcia

Which is, you can follow me, you're going to be able to follow me during Fashion Week and experience everything that I see from backstage to the front row to who I see, what I do like greeting you, like being backstage here. It's going to be the experience of being me.

Young Hollywood

So how does it work? Do you tell it what to do? You can power it with your brain, does it just like read your mind?

Nina Garcia

Not yet. Not yet. It doesn't read your mind, but you can power it through voice or you can power it through your finger. And it's really like a computer up here where you can you can say, "Google, take a picture."

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Nina Garcia

"Glass, uh, take film this." "Glass, send an email." Um, it's very exciting.

Young Hollywood

That's amazing. Okay, so let's talk about Project Runway at New York Fashion Week. What can we expect?

Nina Garcia

Project Runway New York Fashion Week is for me it opens Fashion Week.

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Nina Garcia

You know, it's one of those shows. We can expect today some very talented and creative designers. It's been a phenomenal season. I think that what sets these designers apart from last season, they're all very sensitive. They're almost to a fault perfectionists. There's some that are real perfectionists and have and that have many talents other than just fashion.

Young Hollywood

How's Fashion Week going for you?

Zac Posen

Fashion Week is up and running and going. We've presented our secondary line, Zac Zac Posen yesterday and that's online.

Young Hollywood

Awesome.

Zac Posen

And then Sunday we have our show and today we're here for the Project Runway finale show.

Young Hollywood

What's that like? What are you expecting?

Zac Posen

You know, I haven't seen the collections yet. I've coached them all summer. Mentored them, gave them really strong good critiques. Uh, I expect the best. I think it's going to be great. You know, we had a very strong cast this season of designers. They're so talented. They were so driven. Uh, today is their day to shine.

Young Hollywood

Absolutely.

Zac Posen

And I'm there to support and then critique later.

Young Hollywood

Yeah. What was it like going from being a designer yourself to being a judge of other designers?

Zac Posen

Well, it's interesting, you know, I think the process in a fashion school and a design school is sort of similar. You know, you're able to look at other uh, students' work and you're able to, you know, when I went to school, my critiques were public. In front of my whole class. So it's sort of similar. I don't know, I took years of the different mentors I've had, great educators I've had.

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Zac Posen

And sort of tried to channel them. Uh, I have to leave my personal style and aesthetic at the back door.

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Zac Posen

And try to get the best individually out of each one of them.

Young Hollywood

Definitely and their styles are all so different and so different from yours as well. Do you feel like you've been inspired at all by working with all of these young designers or do you keep it totally separate?

Zac Posen

Absolutely. I'm inspired every day by all kinds of people. You have to keep open in that way.

Young Hollywood

Hey guys, here with gorgeous supermodel and host of Project Runway, Heidi Klum.

Heidi Klum

Hello.

Young Hollywood

Hi. How's Fashion Week going for you?

Heidi Klum

Fashion Week is awesome, you know, I went to see BCBG yesterday. Today we have our own fashion show, Project Runway. So our new up and coming designers, which I hope you all love and will wear one day.

Young Hollywood

Yeah, definitely. Um, what do you think it's like for the contestants and designers to go from just showing their garments in front of you to showing in front of a live audience?

Heidi Klum

It's scary. It is very scary because, you know, when we shoot Project Runway, we are at Parsons and we're in this dark room. We have no audience.

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Heidi Klum

So for them to show basically their baby that they have been working on for the last three months and now people are judging this, you know, and everyone is looking and saying, "Mm," or "Yes." You know, it's it's a little scary for them, especially at the end when they come out, you can always say see like how embarrassed they are to walk in front of the people. Some are really proud and they walk like this and, you know, others are like shy and they're like, "Hi." You know?

Young Hollywood

Do you give them advice for that?

Heidi Klum

No, I tell I mean I do tell them, "Before, have fun."

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Heidi Klum

"You know, you worked so hard. This is your moment, enjoy your moment." But it's just every everyone deals with a situation like this differently.

Young Hollywood

So you're huge in the world of fashion. When you were young though, did you ever say, "When I grow up, I want to be dot, dot, dot"?

Heidi Klum

I still say that.

Young Hollywood

You don't think you've made it big yet?

Heidi Klum

No, I'm at the beginning.

Young Hollywood

Oh, I love that.

Heidi Klum

Yeah. Um, but when I, you know, when I feel like I've reached that point, I hope that I can give um, the support and the belief that people had in me. You know, when I was young, my second show I had a very major designer, Mr. Ford. Help me financially put on my show and I never met him and I hope one day that I can give that back too to other young creators.

Young Hollywood

Paying it forward.

Heidi Klum

Mhm.

Young Hollywood

Now you've become a fashion icon in so many respects. Do you have any A-list advice for aspiring designers, hosts, models? What would you tell them?

Heidi Klum

Well, my advice for designers would be to always squeak. Because you have to be the squeaky wheel. Because if, you know, you forget, there are so many amazing designers out there and when you're very busy, you know, you don't always call everyone and say, "Hey, can you like send me some clothes?" And that is someone, you know, like for example, Christian Siriano, who's a very good squeaky wheel. And the squeaky wheel gets the grease, you know, or how however they say that. Like I wear his clothes probably the most because he sends things all the time. Not for free, but he will say, "Here, wear this, you know, this is beautiful." And then you're like, "Wow, this is beautiful. I'm going to wear it." But if people forget then you won't. So I always tell people, "You know, send me new things. Let me see your collection."

Young Hollywood

Yeah.

Heidi Klum

Push for it. Push for it a little bit.

Young Hollywood

Yeah, you got to hustle. There are so many great designers out there. It's true.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Carly Henderson

    Host of the Young Hollywood interview

  • Nina Garcia

    Project Runway judge and interviewee

  • Zac Posen

    Project Runway judge and interviewee

  • Heidi Klum

    Host of Project Runway and interviewee

  • Mr. Ford

    Major designer who helped Heidi Klum financially

  • Christian Siriano

    Project Runway winner and designer mentioned by Heidi Klum

FAQ

What is Nina Garcia's #beNina initiative?+
Nina Garcia's #beNina initiative uses Google Glass to allow her audience to experience Fashion Week from her perspective, showing everything from backstage to the front row.
What advice does Heidi Klum give to aspiring designers?+
Heidi Klum advises aspiring designers to always be the 'squeaky wheel' and actively promote their work, as the most persistent designers often get noticed.
How does Zac Posen describe his experience transitioning from a designer to a Project Runway judge?+
Zac Posen compares his judging experience to public critiques in fashion school and aims to get the best out of each designer while leaving his personal style aside.
What sets the designers of Project Runway Season 12 apart?+
The designers of Project Runway Season 12 are described as very sensitive, almost to a fault perfectionists, with talents beyond just fashion.
How does Heidi Klum feel about designers showing their collections at Fashion Week?+
Heidi Klum finds it scary for designers to show their 'baby' collections to a live audience and judges after working on them for months, but encourages them to enjoy their moment.

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