The #1 Thing You Must Have to Get on Project Runway

Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Desert is well underway and one of the most highly anticipated evenings is the show featuring Project Runway designers. Palm Springs homeboy Michael Costello is always a favorite and joining him this year is Uli Herzner, Viktor Luna, Ari for Andy South, Irina Shabayeva and Helen Castillo.

(l to r) Ari for Andy South, Michael Costello, Helen Castillo

At a panel discussion earlier in the day of their runway show, the designers talked about their experiences on the show and how it's impacted their careers. They all agreed getting selected for Project Runway was a huge accomplishment in itself. What's the secret ingredient needed to outshine thousands of others in the audition process?

According to Executive Producer Rob Bagshaw, talent is key but talent alone will not get you on the show. Bagshaw says the most important ingredient is passion.

(l to r) Rob Bagshaw, Uli Herzner, Michael Costello

"They don't have to be the most talented, the most experienced or even the most confident, but they do have to know what they love, know their passion. They have to have some sort of technical proficiency, of course, to physically make it through the production, but being passionate, being focused on the type of designer they are, is very inspiring for us. That's the number one for us."

Bagshaw says the designers also need to be confident in their design aesthetic, because that's what translates on television. "We're looking for talent that can make it in our television world," he explains. "And personality, because it is a tv show, and there's the entertainment factor."

(l to r) Helen Castillo, Viktor Luna, Irina Shabayeva

Project Runway is not a fashion school, Bagshaw points out. It is a television show. But it's also sincere about helping designers break into the business, and Project Runway All Stars is about helping them build their brand.

"Once you're in the Project Runway family, you're always in the Project Runway family," he says. "As producers we are fiercely proud of the work they've done on the show, but really, what they've gone on to achieve in the industry afterwards."

Bagshaw also revealed there's another Project Runway spin-off in the works, which will be announced soon. Although he said he couldn't say what specifically, when I asked if it might be a Project Runway for kids, he smiled and said, "That's a very good idea."

(l to r) Susan Stein, Uli Herzner, Ari for Andy South 

The panel discussion was moderated by Susan Stein, fashion editor of Palm Springs Life Magazine and co-producer of Fashion Week El Paseo.