[title subtitle=”WORDS Liesel Schmidt
IMAGES courtesy Bravo Media, Barbara Nitke, and Todd White”][/title]
“…one day you’re in, and the next day, you’re out.”
It’s a line we’ve heard countless times, delivered to designers holding their breath as they wait anxiously on the otherwise empty runway with one other contestant, their fate seemingly in the hands of a panel of judges sitting before them. And for many, that fate changed the minute they first stepped foot into the workrooms of the iconic television show Project Runway, a show revered season after season, followed with cult-like dedication by fans who could parrot the words of mentors and judges at the drop of a hat. It was a show that broke ground in television and launched a thousand careers, gave rise to countless dreams, and inspired the creativity of millions of viewers who realized that the future could be limitless, even for them.
Over years of watching the seasons of Project Runway, Arkansas-based designer Brittany Allen saw herself in those contestants, empathizing with their stresses and their joys, knowing the level of creativity and skill it took to do what they did, to stand before a dress form and wonder how to execute the vision in her head. And so, when the call came for designers to apply to Bravo for Season 18 of the show, Allen packed up her portfolio and samples and presented her very best for the selection panel. “I felt like it was my time,” says thirty-year-old Allen, who has been designing since 2011. “I’ve had the Brittany Allen brand for a few years, I’ve learned a lot about the industry and garment construction, and I can sew just about anything. But I wanted something to help boost my career, and I wanted an outlet where I could really show the world what I am capable of doing. I’m very passionate about fashion design, and I saw being on Project Runway as the perfect opportunity to show that.”
Fortunately for Allen, the selection panel saw something in her work that made them believe she would be a perfect addition to the show. “I was completely and utterly shocked when I found out that I was going to be in the competition,” she recalls. “I felt prepared enough to do something like this, but in that moment it was very real. I could hardly contain my excitement!”
And with good reason, as the exposure from being on the show is a huge boost for any designer’s career—even for those who don’t win. But the goal is, of course, to be the winner; and the winner wins big, earning a grand prize of $250,000 courtesy of Bluprint, a feature spread in ELLE magazine, the chance to be featured in a Bluprint digital series, $50,000 compliments of Pilot, and a mentorship with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America).
In its past life, the show was hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, both of whom helped build the name to its iconic status. But a new generation has taken the reins since it returned to Bravo for Season 17 in early 2019, with supermodel Karlie Kloss serving as host-slash-judge and Season 4 winner Christian Siriano—now the head of his own fashion empire—holding the role of mentor to the designers. The judges’ panel now also includes designer Brandon Maxwell, journalist and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Elaine Welteroth, and the illustrious Nina Garcia—editor-in-chief of Elle and the inscrutable eye whose exacting standards have made more than a few designers sweat the straightness of their seams in seasons past. “Going in, I was most excited to meet Brandon and Christian, the two fashion designers. Brandon is an icon, and he went to school in Austin, so I felt like we would have a lot in common,” says Allen, who went to University of Arkansas for Apparel Studies before enrolling in Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied Fashion Design. Now in the final stages of her PhD at Iowa State University for the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design hybrid program, Allen is clearly all in, intent on learning all she can about every conceivable aspect of fashion to ensure that her brand is able to reach its full potential. “Of course, Christian is brilliant, and I really fell in love with Project Runway by watching him on Season 4.”
And she’s hoping to follow suit, taking the win home back to Arkansas and really showing the entire viewing world what she’s made of—not that she isn’t facing her fair share of nerves. “Starting off, I was most nervous about not being able to show my full potential. I know my talent and my sewing capabilities as a designer—I just wanted to be able to go into the competition and perform under all of the pressure I knew I would be facing,” Allen explains.
As anyone who’s seen the show knows, the pressure is intense. Often insane. Designing garments in minutes, shopping for supplies under a time clock, constructing looks from head to toe in days—sometimes less—and keeping it all together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t…well, you’re out. When it does, the satisfaction is followed swiftly by the realization that another challenge is soon on the heels of the one you’ve just finished. Some designers shine under the pressure, some crack. And some seem to teeter-totter all season long, back and forth between the bottom and the top. It would test the strength of anyone, and it certainly puts the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant under a microscope as models walk the runway in the finished looks, every last stitch and decision magnified under the bright lights and scrutiny of the powers that be.
Naturally, some challenges are in the wheelhouse of many designers, while others are not—which is when the weaknesses and strengths stand out the most. “I’m a ready-to-wear designer, so I was dreading ANY avant-garde challenges,” says Allen. “It’s hard for me to think conceptually, so I knew that would be a difficult challenge going in. What I was most looking forward to were challenges in my wheelhouse. Since I’ve worked with bridal gowns, I knew I would be able to face any challenge that involved eveningwear or bridal. I also work with a lot of prints in my collections, so I was hoping we would also get a print challenge where I could show off my skills,” she goes on.
Take a look at her list of past clienteles and the names she’s worked with, and it’s evident that her skills are remarkable. “I used to design for Understated Leather, a company in Austin, and some of the clients who wore my designs were Lady Gaga, January Jones, Emma Roberts, and Arctic Monkeys. Also, when I was lead designer of footwear for a company in Fayetteville, Bon Jovi and Jewel wore some boots that I had designed,” she says. Add to that the fact that she is a former intern of Betsey Johnson, and one can only imagine that her potential for winning the season is huge.
Even with so much potential, however, there are those challenges to make it through as well as the emotional, mental, and physical stresses to overcome. But Allen has kept a clear head by staying clear on her objective: “I went into the competition reminding myself why I was there. I wanted to showcase my design abilities, show the world who I was as a designer, and in the end, be the winner of Project Runway. As I would repeat that over and over, I found myself really pushing a little harder than before.”
As the season unfolds, we’ll see just how hard she pushes, and in the end, whether she’s the one to walk her full collection down the runway and be named the next designer to win Project Runway. Good luck, Brittany Allen, this is your “Make It Work” moment.
To see Brittany in action, watch the premier of Project Runwayon Thursday, December 5 at 9:30/8:30c on Bravo.
