FYI:
How do they find the fashion designer contestants for Project Runway (TV Series)?
Janet Kim, clothing designer
Answered Nov 20, 2013
I've made it to the finalist round in casting twice, which is as far as you can get without actually making it onto the show. I've always had mixed feelings about the show, which probably affected how I came across as a candidate. They really want people who are extremely enthusiastic about being on the show, and not likely to quit or have a breakdown in the middle. The producers feel that they are making an investment into the designers they ultimately select, and so they want to pick people who they believe can be successful.
The producers post notices throughout the fashion community that they are casting and anyone can submit an application. The application takes a decent amount of work. You fill out information about yourself, your background, what designers you admire, etc.
You are also required to send in photos of garments you have sewn yourself. It's worthwhile to note that most working fashion designers don't sew their own garments, but because of the nature of the show, they want to see that you can sew your own garments (although they don't really take measures to ensure that you did, in fact, sew them).
Finally, you are required to submit photos of yourself, along with a brief video explaining who you are, why you want to be on the show, and why you think you should be selected.
If you are selected for the semi-finalist round, you are asked to show up to an audition, which is filmed, in front of a panel of three judges, as well as a room full of other people, including producers. They generally have semi-final auditions in about seven major cities in the United States. You are expected to fly, at your own expense, to the one closest to you. You bring a few garments that you have sewn and the panel asks you questions based on your application. It's worthwhile to note that at the end of the day, Project Runway is a reality show, so personality is an important aspect of what the judges are looking for in a candidate. To that end, they try to rile you up a bit to see your reaction under pressure. The panel usually includes one or two former contestants, an editor from Marie Claire, and if you're lucky, Tim Gunn.
If you make it past that round, there is a follow up one-on-one interview with the casting director which is also filmed.
At that point, it's all about personality. Not necessarily that you have to be a certain flamboyant personality, although they do want people who will make good TV, like Christian Siriano (although he is also a very talented designer). But they are putting together a cast that will hopefully play off of each other, and they can't cast 16 designers who are all young gay male designers who live in New York.
You are asked to take a drug test and submit to a psychological evaluation, and then await the decision.
The casting process is completed within a couple of weeks of when filming actually begins, and you have to be ready to commit to five weeks of filming with very little notice. I believe they choose about 25-30 designers for the finalist round, from which they select the final dozen or sixteen or however many it is now.
