Shows like Project Runway Junior let you get in touch with aspiring talents in the fashion world. In a similar vein to the original Project Runway, the show features a group of teenage aspiring fashion designers competing against each other to win a prize and the opportunity to further develop their talents with the scissors.
Presented by Tim Gunn and Hannah Jeter and with the participation of Kelly Osbourne, Christian Siriano, and Aya Kanai, and produced by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the show ran for a couple of seasons on Lifetime after its cancelation. But what happened to its contestants after the show? Did these aspiring teenage fashion designers manage to get an opportunity in the competitive fashion world, or did they move on?
Project Runway Junior: Where Are They Now?
Project Runway Junior was a fun show to watch; it had great challenges that put the designing and couture skills of these teenagers, giving them valuable experience that they likely used in the future whether they won the competition, became a runner, or were eliminated: From crafting outfits with things you could find a shed to draw inspiration from well-established fashionista stuff like the Milano Fashion Week, the contestants put out their best in hopes of getting the scholarship at the Fashion Institute of Design at Los Angeles plus that 25K prize.
Akai
Akai Littlejohn kept designing women’s fashion, and his drive eventually took him to the Big Apple Fashion Week, where he debuted with a Spring/Summer collection three years ago. After being an intern at the tender age of 9 at the Geracci Condello fashion house, the man took everything he could learn from there, and after Project Runway Junior, he kept going forward with his passion and had his own company.
Zachary
Zachary Fernandez, a high school student in Oakland, made it to the finals of the first season of Project Runway Junior. He then went right back to the Oakland School of the Arts to continue his studies as a designer. Kathmandu was a collection that was motivated by the efforts to help Nepal get back on its feet after the terrible earthquake in 2015. Art School watched Fernandez as he sketched, found textiles, and designed his new initiative, which was shown at a final fashion show in the spring of 2016.
Zachary Fernandez thinks of design as a form of art and an instrument to get his ideas across. He thinks about how his ideas for a new collection will come across to his audience. He also keeps an eye on his process and how he’s changing, which helps him grow as a professional.
Also Read: What Happened In ‘Project Runway’ Season 19?
What Happened To Jaxson Metzler From Project Runway Junior?
Jaxson Metzler was just getting used to rubbing elbows in high school in Kansas when the producers picked him for Project Runway Junior. Well, as the Wizard of Oz goes: “We’re not in Kansas anymore”, because things picked up for Metzler as he participated in the show and eventually presented his collection at his home state, moving on to study Music, Theatre, and Dance at the Kansas State University.
What Happened To Maya From Project Runway Junior?
After winning Project Runway Junior, Maya Ramirez kept doing what she did best. She presented a collection during New York’s Fashion Week and became a source of inspiration for young and aspiring designers around the world. Additionally, after Project Runway Junior, she pursued studies at the Toledo School of Arts.
All in all, most of the participants of Project Runway Junior were motivated by the sudden boost of fame that the show gave them and continued with their interests in one way or another, always linked to the creative side of the arts that the show was intended to motivate.
Moreover, those who were featured in the show went on to say that the entire experience was positive, that Project Runway Junior was a remarkably positive show that kept things real despite it being a reality show, and that they learned a lot from it.
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