Amazon Prime Video series ‘Making the Cut,’ starring Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, announces Season 1 contestants

February 24, 2020

The following is a press release from Amazon Prime Video:

Amazon Original series “Making the Cut” reveals its first official look at the upcoming season, hosted and executive produced by Heidi Klum & Tim Gunn. The series will premiere on Prime Video on Friday March 27, 2020. The 10-episode fashion competition series, which brings together a diverse group of 12 talented entrepreneurs and designers, will premiere two new episodes each week, culminating in an epic finale on April 24, 2020.

In this first-ever global and instantly shoppable series, limited editions of the winning look from each episode will be available for purchase exclusively on Amazon in the “Making the Cut” store. During the course of the season, those who do not “make the cut” will be eliminated, with the winning designer from the finale receiving one million dollars to invest in their brand and the opportunity to create an exclusive line available on Amazon.

The dozen designers featured on “Making the Cut” will visit three of the world’s fashion capitals – New York, Paris, and Toyko – and face challenges and assignments that will test not only their design skills but also their ability to run all aspects of a business. Judging their looks and industry acumen are some of fashion’s most recognizable and influential names, including Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Joseph Altuzarra, Carine Roitfeld and Chiara Ferragni. The series is executive produced by Sara Rea, Page Feldman, Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn and Jennifer Love, directed by Ramy Romany and produced by Amazon Studios and SKR Productions.

As previously announced, the 12 designers competing for an opportunity of a lifetime are:

Sander Bos, 24, Hasselt, Belgium: Featuring avant-garde inspired looks, Bos is a young designer who runs his namesake line. Raised in a small town in Belgium, he is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and is eager to make his mark on a global scale.

Rinat Brodach, 35, New York City: Brodach was a fan of fashion from an early age while growing up in in Israel and later came to the US to study design. Her eponymous line features a minimalist chic, gender-free aesthetic, reflecting her own straightforward personality. She recently dressed Billy Porter for the Critics’ Choice Awards and her designs have also been worn by Laverne Cox and Adam Lambert.

Ji Won Choi, 26, New York City: The Parson graduate is a designer of elevated, active streetwear that she sells under her namesake brand and has collaborated with Adidas, with pieces worn by Beyoncé and Kendall Jenner. Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in Oklahoma, and educated in New York City and Paris, her work is a reflection of how Choi sees herself in the world.

Jasmine Chong, 31, New York City: Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Chong is the owner of her self-titled feminine ready-to-wear line, has previously shown at NYFW and her line has been featured in a number of fashion magazines. Inspired by her seamstress grandmother and her fashion designer mother, she is focused on creating beautiful clothing that appeals to all body types.

Jonny Cota, 35, Los Angeles, CA: The self-taught owner of the elevated streetwear brand Skingraft, Cota produces two men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections yearly and has shown five times at New York Fashion Week. In addition, he has dressed celebrities including Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé.

Martha Gottwald, 28, Richmond, VA: The Louisiana native and mother of two is owner of the womenswear brand Neubyrne and has been featured in British Vogue and shown at NYFW. Like Gottwald herself, Neubyrne embraces color and whimsicality. The survivor of a near fatal car accident that taught her about strength and endurance, she is a relatively new designer who was inspired by artisans she met in Singapore.

Troy Hul Arnold, 34, New York City: An adjunct professor at Parsons, Hul Arnold was born in Trinidad and Tobago before coming to the US as a child. His brand, Hul Arnold, features minimalist, avant-garde menswear inspired looks for women; one of his designs was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker on Glee. Hul Arnold takes an artisanal approach to his fashion, and he refers to his pieces as functional sculptures.

Joshua Hupper, 38, Shanghai, China: Founder of BABYGHOST, a wildly successful e-commerce fashion brand based in China, Hupper’s designs have been featured in Vogue and on runways around the world. His line features youthful, feminine ready-to-wear fashions for the “mischievous girl.” Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Hupper’s talents were shaped by his artistic upbringing and internships with Diane Von Furstenburg and Thakoon.

Esther Perbandt, 43, Berlin, Germany: Founder and namesake Esther Perbandt was born and bred in Berlin, toughened up in Moscow and polished in Paris. Owner of her eponymous line, which features edgy, menswear-inspired separates, Perbandt has created more than 30 collections over the brand’s 15 year history and has been running her highly successful boutique in Berlin for ten years. As an artist, she has also collaborated on countless music, film and theatre projects.

Will Riddle, 31, New York City: Riddle’s design skills, featuring a modern take on old glamour, have led to a series of impressive jobs, including Atelier Director at Oscar de la Renta, 3.1 Philip Lim, and now men’s designer at Kith – a far journey from growing up in a trailer park in Ohio. With an impressive resume under his belt, Riddle is ready to start his own label.

Sabato Russo, 64, Milan, Italy: A seasoned designer with a 25-year career in the industry, Russo is owner of the brand Satorial Monk, which focuses on high end simplicity. A former model who is able to speak four languages, Russo has a global point of view that is reflected in his sophisticated, timeless looks. Russo is currently working on his “Made in Italy” line entitled Sabato Russo.

Megan Smith, 38, Los Angeles, CA: Born and raised in Kansas City, KS, Smith first discovered her love of fashion design while creating clothes for her Barbie dolls. After designing private label for several major bands and retailers, Smith branched out and launched her own line “Megan Renee.” The response to her first runway show during Los Angeles Fashion Week was so overwhelming, she launched her online boutique to sell her collections to customers worldwide. Her line features feminine, 70’s inspired cocktail attire.

Making The Cut Social Handles: #MakingtheCut
Twitter: @MakingtheCutTV
Instagram: @MakingtheCutTV

Amazon Prime Video Social Handles:
Twitter: @PrimeVideo
Instagram: @AmazonPrimeVideo

Amazon Fashion Social Handles:
Instagram & Twitter: @AmazonFashion

Making The Cut Talent & Judge Social Handles:
Heidi Klum: Twitter and Instagram @HeidiKlum
Tim Gunn: Twitter and Instagram @TimGunn
Naomi Campbell: Twitter @NaomiCampbell and Instagram @Naomi
Nicole Richie: Twitter and Instagram @NicoleRichie
Carine Roitfeld: Instagram @CarineRoitfeld
Joseph Altuzarra: Instagram @JosephAltuzarra
Chiara Ferragni: Twitter and Instagram @ChiaraFerragni

Amazon Prime Video announces fashion-competition series ‘Making the Cut,’ hosted Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn

June 26, 2019

by Carla Hay

Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum (Photo courtesy of Lifetime)

Amazon Prime Video has announced details of its fashion-competition show starring Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, the Emmy-winning former hosts of “Project Runway.” The show is called “Making the Cut,” and it will premiere sometime in 2020.  British supermodel Naomi Campbell, fashionista Nicole Richie, journalist Carine Roitfeld and fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra will be judges or guest judges on the show, which began auditioning contestants in January 2019. There will be 12 contestants (whose identities are to be announced) on the first season of “Making the Cut,” according to an Amazon Prime Video press release.

The executive producers of “Making the Cut” are Klum, Gunn, Sara Rea, Page Feldman and Jennifer Love. The show’s production company is SKR Productions.

The show’s grand prize has not yet been announced, but designs that win a challenge in each episode will be available for purchase on Amazon. The grand prize will also likely include some kind of deal where Amazon will sell the clothes of the winning designer.

“Making the Cut” joins a growing list of fashion-competition shows for contestants who are designers. Gunn and Klum were part of the original “Project Runway” team when the show debuted in 2004, and the duo left in 2017.

The “Project Runway” reboot in 2019 included the show moving from Lifetime back to Bravo (the show’s original network) and an almost complete recasting of the show’s stars. Karlie Kloss is now the host of “Project Runway,” which added mentor Christian Siriano (a former “Project Runway” winner) and new judges Brandon Maxwell (fashion designer) and journalist Elaine Welteroth. Nina Garcia, who has been a judge on “Project Runway” since the beginning, has remained with the show during its numerous changes.

Netflix also has a fashion-competition series: “Next in Fashion,” hosted by fashion expert Tan France (of “Queer Eye” fame) and model Alexa Chung. There will be a rotating group of guest judges. Elizabeth Stewart and Eva Chen are the guest judges announced so far. The premiere date for “Next in Fashion” is to be announced.

 

Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn leave ‘Project Runway’ and start their own fashion reality show on Amazon Prime Video

September 7, 2018

by Yvette Thomas

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn (Photo courtesy of Lifetime)

It’s the end of an era for “Project Runway,” the long-running talent contest for aspiring fashion designers. “Project Runway” hosts/judges Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, who were with the show since its 2004 debut, have left “Project Runway,” and have announced that they are starting their own fashion reality show on Amazon Prime Video.  More details about their new show are to be announced. The press release from Amazon Prime Video is at the end of this article.

In May 2018, it was announced that “Project Runway” would be returning in 2019 to Bravo, the show’s first U.S. network. The 17th season of “Project Runway” will premiere in 2019 on Bravo on a date to be announced. Then in June 2018, Bravo announced that “Project Runway” was also bringing back Magical Elves, the production company that produced the first five seasons of “Project Runway,” which will produce the show with Lantern Entertainment. Magical Elves co-founders Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth were named as the show’s new executive producers, but Klum and Gunn were not mentioned anywhere in Bravo’s announced reboot of “Project Runway.” It was a sign of things to come.

“Project Runway” debuted in 2004 in Bravo, and then moved to Lifetime in 2008, and stayed on Lifetime until 2017. The move to Lifetime was problematic, and resulted in lawsuits between Lifetime and Bravo that were eventually settled. While at Lifetime, “Project Runway” was produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, Miramax Television (from 2004 to 2011), The Weinstein Company (from 2005 to 2017), Heidi Klum Productions and Full Picture Entertainment. After the downfall of Weinstein Company co-founder Harvey Weinstein in late 2017, when he fired from the company after being publicly accused of sexual assault by numerous women, “Project Runway” distanced itself from The Weinstein Company, which later went bankrupt and sold to investor group Lantern Entertainment.

Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum (Photo courtesy of Lifetime)

Gunn started off as an advisor/mentor to contestants on “Project Runway,” and he was promoted in 2011 to co-host/co-judge the show with Klum, who was one of the show’s executive producers. Gunn also became a producer on the show in 2011. In 2013, Klum and Gunn won an Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. “Project Runway” has also won an Emmy in 2009 for Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming.

In a statement released in June 2018, Cutforth said: “We could not be more thrilled to return as the producers of ‘Project Runway.’ We built the series from the ground up with Bravo and it is part of the DNA of our company.”

Lipsitz added, “Dan and I have always loved ‘Runway’ so much and we can’t wait to return to it with a renewed creative energy. We are really excited to reflect some of the incredible changes that have happened in the fashion world since we last produced the series.”

Bravo also announced that its “Project Runway” reboot would have a grand prize of $250,000, the largest monetary prize so far for “Project Runway.”

“Project Runway’s” most famous winner is Christian Siriano, who won in the show’s fourth season in 2008. He has gone on to become a designer whose fashions are regularly seen at A-list celebrity events and shown at New York Fashion Week.

“Project Runway” Season 16 judges Zac Posen, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Tim Gunn (Photo by Barbara Nitke)

Winners of “Project Runway” have also had their fashions featured in magazine spreads for Elle and later Marie Claire. It has not yet been announced if Marie Claire will continue its affiliation with “Project Runway.” It also hasn’t been announced if any of the show’s other judges will be part of the show’s reboot. Other “Project Runway” judges have included Marie Claire editor Nina Garcia and fashion designer Zac Posen. Fashion designer Michael Kors was a judge on “Project Runway” for the show’s first 10 seasons.

In the years since “Project Runway” debut, the show has launched several editions in other countries, as well as spinoff series.

The following is a press release from Amazon Prime Video:

Amazon Prime Video today announced it is developing a new reality fashion series from the recent Emmy nominated duo of Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, which will premiere globally in over 200 countries and territories. While details remain close to the vest, the show will continue Klum and Gunn’s 14-year relationship and a commitment to making fashion accessible to a wide audience.

The series will be a fresh take in the reality space and will appeal to a global audience who are entertained by competition, storytelling, and authenticity. Additionally, Amazon Fashion will create a shoppable experience for viewers. This intersection of content, commerce, and technology is perfectly suited to the cord cutter generation and streaming consumers.

Over the years, Klum and Gunn, who previously won an Emmy Award in 2013, have enlightened viewers about the craftsmanship, talent and sheer dedication it requires for designers to take ideas from sketch to runway with many challenges along the way. They have used the narrative of fashion as a starting point to spark discussion and create conversation around the fabric of the stories they’ve told. Issues that have been explored include body positivity, inclusion, and diversity.

“After 16 incredible seasons, I am saying ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Project Runway, a show that I was honored to host and help create,” said Heidi Klum. “I am incredibly proud of the show, and it will always have a special place in my heart. I am so appreciative of the dedicated fans, and most of all, I am grateful that we could shine a light on creativity and help launch so many talented designers’ careers. I’m most excited that my journey with my dear friend and colleague, Tim Gunn, is far from over. We will be partnering with Amazon for a new show, and we’re excited for everyone to see what we’re designing next!”

Tim Gunn commented: “I am grateful to Project Runway for putting me on a path I never, in my wildest dreams, thought my career would take me! I am so proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking process that showcased talented young designers as never before. Most importantly, I am indebted to our incredible fans, they are the heart and soul of what we do, and continue to inspire us to raise the bar in this arena. I’m excited for them to see what’s next, as I partner with Amazon and Heidi Klum on our next great ‘fashion’ adventure.”

Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, commented: “Heidi Klum completely changed the television landscape by developing a competitive reality fashion series that was unproven and different from what was popular on-air. The show became wildly successful, and in turn Klum and Tim Gunn have become an iconic pop culture duo. Their drive to deliver fashionably entertaining, engaging and trendsetting content speaks for itself, and we believe their next iteration in this space will find an even larger audience on our global Prime Video runway.”

 

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