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The workroom has never seen talent quite like this. Join us as we count down our picks for the fiercest designers ever to sew their way to "Project Runway" glory! From sculptural wave motifs to fearless print mixing and razor-sharp tailoring, these champions proved that fashion is more than a competition — it's a statement. Which designer do you think truly deserved the crown?
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00:00The three of you will always be all-stars, but there can only be one winner.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the fiercest designers to ever sew their way from the workroom to
00:13Project Runway glory.
00:14Dimitri, how do you feel?
00:16I don't even know. I'm very happy. The competition was so tough.
00:22Number 10. Bishmi Kromarty.
00:24A second chance at the workroom became a stylish, emotional victory lap on television.
00:29It's a pinch-free moment for me because to actually be here at the finale is mind-blowing.
00:36After finishing fourth in season 17, Bishmi Kromarty returned and ultimately won Project Runway season 20.
00:43The finale demanded eight looks in eight days, and his powering-through collection drew on purity, anger, and anxiety.
00:51Billy Porter praised the closing anxiety gown, saying its anxiety did not feel oppressive.
00:57I really love that this is called the anxiety gown because it doesn't feel like the anxiety is oppressive.
01:07It feels like you're moving through it.
01:10After the win, Kromarty moved straight into a spring 2024 New York Fashion Week collection titled Phase Quantum.
01:17He has since continued to define what he calls street guard, underscoring a clear post-show design identity.
01:23She told me I was gonna win. All I had to do was just believe it. Ooh.
01:30And this just right here just showcased to me everything I've been fighting for is worth it.
01:35Number 9. Michelle Lesniak Franklin.
01:38This is what a reality TV fashion resume with serious range looks like.
01:42When you were on your team and you didn't change teams, the team was on the bottom every time,
01:47finally you change. And what happened? She's won!
01:50Michelle Lesniak Franklin won season 11, the show's inaugural team's edition.
01:55She repeatedly landed among the lowest-scoring group, but her finale collection took inspiration
02:00from feeling like a, quote, lone wolf.
02:03Using it kind of as a metaphor for what I've gone through, my inspiration has been a lone female wolf.
02:10She's lost her pack. She's on a mission. She's looking for that last kill to survive.
02:15Years later, she entered All-Stars Season 7, a field mixing American and international champions.
02:21In the finale, she had four days and $3,000 to create six looks.
02:27She won again, earning the first-ever world champion title
02:30and turning an already impressive comeback into a genuine franchise double.
02:35Holy cow. It's incredible.
02:37I've never felt this emotionally exhausted in my life. I'm super proud.
02:41So, Michelle, you are the Project Runway All-Stars world champion.
02:45I'm gonna get a belt.
02:47The double victory proved that her point of view could outlast the pressure.
02:51It takes a lot of dollar bills to make a small amount in the fashion industry,
02:56so I need as many of those dollar bills as possible.
02:59The real reason I went on was to win. I mean, I hope that every designer did that.
03:03The winner may take it all, but everyone gets a front-row seat on Ms. Mojo's 24-7 livestream.
03:09Scan the QR code on-screen to join us live for non-stop pop culture fun.
03:15I'll take you up on that.
03:17Number 8. Leanne Marshall.
03:19Her final runway made a convincing case that she already knew exactly who she was as a designer.
03:25I was truly inspired in this collection,
03:28and I'm really, really, really proud of what I have accomplished.
03:34Leanne Marshall won Season 5 after facing Koto Mamolu and Kenley Collins in the show's first finale made up entirely
03:40of women.
03:41Her collection used pale neutrals and oceanic blues,
03:45with folded sculptural fabric creating a recurring wave motif.
03:48The judge's comments centered on her ability to keep ambitious construction visually controlled.
03:54The trickiest thing to do is make complicated clothes look easy,
03:58and her clothes look very unfettered.
04:01The other thing is she thinks about a sustainable fabric,
04:06and she's thinking, what's next?
04:08She has an elegant, sophisticated, polished approach.
04:11Yes, it could look very granola.
04:12The victory came with $100,000 toward building her business.
04:16Marshall later relocated to New York, introduced a bridal line in 2011,
04:21and kept presenting her work during New York Fashion Week.
04:24More than a memorable finale, her win became the launchpad for a lasting fashion career.
04:29I'm so excited because I'm on my way, and my dreams are happening.
04:35It's unreal.
04:36Number 7. Chloe Dow.
04:38Long before the confetti fell,
04:40this contestant had already learned how to make fashion pay the bills.
04:44Physically, mentally, I'm exhausted, I'm drained.
04:47I know myself as a businesswoman.
04:49Do what I have to do.
04:51Chloe Dow entered season 2 as the owner of Houston Boutique Lot 8,
04:55then beat Daniel Vosovic and Santino Rice
04:57after all three presented 13-piece collections at New York Fashion Week.
05:01Her evening wear impressed the judges with its finish, wearability,
05:05and precise construction, particularly her seam work.
05:09It's mesmerizing to look at Chloe's work.
05:11It fits perfectly.
05:12I love where she puts the seams.
05:15They really go in curves.
05:17They're really on very unusual places.
05:19The victory brought $100,000 toward her own line,
05:23plus a Banana Republic mentorship.
05:25Dow kept building from Houston.
05:27She later launched Simply Chloe Dow on QVC,
05:30renamed her boutique after herself,
05:32and became a judge and co-executive producer on Project Runway Vietnam.
05:37That combination of craft and business instinct gave her win serious staying power.
05:42We love what you did.
05:43You had very memorable pieces.
05:45We thought you did a great job,
05:47and we believe that you are the next great American designer.
05:52Oh my God, thank you.
05:54Number 6, Irina Shabayeva.
05:57Her strongest work made toughness look luxurious rather than heavy.
06:01Home is where the heart is.
06:03It's really about what it takes to sort of survive in the city as a woman,
06:07and it's about comforting and shielding yourself and just going at it.
06:13Irina Shabayeva capped season 6 with a 13-piece Bryant Park collection
06:17built around a fierce New York woman,
06:19using black leather, substantial knitwear, and sharply structured shapes.
06:24The judges responded to its contemporary appeal
06:27and ultimately chose her over Althea Harper and Carol Hannah Whitfield.
06:31The amount of work that went into the clothes is commendable.
06:35Hats, bags, the pleating.
06:38I have to say, I mean, I would love myself to own a lot of these pieces.
06:43The victory brought her $100,000 toward her own line,
06:47capping a season in which her polished aesthetic repeatedly stood out.
06:51Afterward, Shabayeva expanded into bridal,
06:54including an exclusive 2011 collection for Kleinfeld.
06:57That mix of drama, technique, and polish
07:00made her victory especially convincing
07:02and helped establish a design identity
07:04she could carry beyond the competition.
07:06Your line was sleek, modern, cohesive,
07:12and it told a story.
07:16And you knew what kind of woman you were designing for.
07:19And you really did articulate that to all of us beautifully.
07:24Number 5. Seth Aaron Henderson
07:26Winning once put him in an elite club.
07:29Returning for another crown put him in the history books.
07:32Congratulations.
07:34You know, next for me is doing what I love to do.
07:37I'm ready to start a large clothing line.
07:40I'm ready to conquer the fashion industry, if you will.
07:44Seth Aaron Henderson took season 7
07:46after a finale collection inspired by 1940s German and Russian military style,
07:51defeating Emilia Sosa and Mila Hermanoffsky.
07:54He then returned for All Stars season 3,
07:56where the finalists built heritage-inspired collections
07:59for a runway at United Nations headquarters.
08:02I mean, this represents Spain to me in a modern world.
08:09It makes me happy.
08:10It makes me happy.
08:12Henderson drew on his Spanish background and won again.
08:16In doing so, he became the first designer to conquer both the flagship series
08:20and its All Stars spinoff,
08:22an achievement that makes his resume especially hard to argue with.
08:25I said I wouldn't cry unless I was really happy, and I'm really happy.
08:31Seth Aaron, we've watched you come such a long way.
08:34Number 4.
08:35Dom Streeter.
08:36Print was never just decoration in her hands.
08:39It was the engine of the clothes.
08:41Every time that I create something,
08:44it's me releasing the creativity in my soul into the world.
08:49It just makes me very proud.
08:51Dom Streeter was only 24 when she won season 12,
08:54after taking her collection to New York Fashion Week.
08:57She returned for All Stars 5 and reached another finale,
09:00where the designers had only four days to complete eight looks inspired by New York City.
09:05I mean, for anyone who's never been to New York,
09:07it's just a lot to take in.
09:08It's like sensory overload.
09:09So I thought I'd create a collection kind of celebrating all that movement and chaos of New York.
09:15Streeter turned the city's sensory overload into original textiles,
09:19including hand-painted pieces, then claimed her second title.
09:22The victory made her the first woman to win both Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars.
09:27Two crowns and a textile identity that stayed unmistakably hers
09:31make this repeat champion an easy inclusion.
09:34It's like the best type of validation as a designer.
09:38To have these people who are giants in the industry say,
09:42you have a voice, the world needs to hear it.
09:45I chose.
09:46Number three, Mondo Guerra.
09:49Some victories feel sweeter because viewers have already watched the heartbreak first.
09:54We absolutely believe that there is a place in fashion for both of your aesthetics.
09:57We have no doubt that you both will be successful,
09:59and we wish that there could be two winners, but there can only be one.
10:04Mondo Guerra returned after finishing second on season eight,
10:08bringing back the fearless print mixing that had already become central to his aesthetic.
10:12On All Stars, he reached the finale against Austin Scarlett and Michael Costello,
10:17with only four days to create his collection.
10:19I love your attention to detail, and you thought throughout each piece of it
10:24in the best way that you had in a short period of time.
10:27Did a great job.
10:28His six-look therapy lineup moved between polka dots, a Rorschach dress, graphic contrasts,
10:35and sharply tailored separates without losing his maximalist point of view.
10:38The judges praised the collection's cohesion and execution, and Mondo finally took the title.
10:44The win also made Guerra the first Latino champion in the franchise, turning a comeback into history.
10:50Being on Project Runway All Stars has been the hardest thing I've done.
10:53I thought Project Runway season eight was hard, but this was leaps and bounds, like beyond difficult.
11:00Number two, Dmitry Sholokov.
11:03Precision was his superpower, and the judges rewarded it twice.
11:07Dmitry Sholokov won season 10 with a New York Fashion Week collection shaped by organic architecture,
11:13using graphic geometry, tailored silhouettes, and a mostly monochrome palette.
11:17I can't believe it's me, and this is my collection, and this is the day I've been waiting for so
11:24long, and it's finally here.
11:27The judges saw both fashion credibility and real sales potential in the work,
11:32ultimately placing him ahead of Fabio Costa, Melissa Fleece, and Christopher Palou.
11:37He returned for All Stars 4, where the finale required eight looks covering all four seasons made in only four
11:43days.
11:44Sholokov combined unexpected materials and manipulated them into dimensional surfaces,
11:49earning praise for his command of construction and silhouette.
11:53Honestly, you are the master of technique, and you have a signature.
11:57He took the title again, then later finished runner-up on All Stars 7.
12:01That is one formidable competition record.
12:04You can't compare what Michel put out there.
12:08Not technically, not creatively.
12:11My pieces were masterpieces.
12:12Number 1. Christian Siriano.
12:15The season ended with a winner whose biggest achievements were still ahead of him.
12:19Christian Siriano won season 4, becoming the youngest champion in the show's history.
12:25I am the youngest winner of Patrick Romay ever.
12:28It's crazy, but hello, did you have a doubt? Come on.
12:32His Bryant Park collection sealed the victory over Rami Cashew and Jillian Lewis,
12:36with Victoria Beckham serving as guest judge.
12:38His namesake collection debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2008, and his reach only grew from there.
12:46Siriano became a prominent advocate for size diversity while dressing major public figures and entertainers,
12:52including Michelle Obama and Billy Porter.
12:54In 2019, the Project Runway franchise brought him back as its new mentor.
12:59More than a memorable reality TV success, his win became the opening chapter of a major fashion career.
13:06This won't be the last of Christian Siriano.
13:09I mean, people need to see more of the fierceness.
13:13Which winning collection still lives rent-free in your fashion-loving brain?
13:17Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:19Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:19Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:20Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:20Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:22Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
13:23Stitch together your thoughts in the comments.
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