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Project Runway Australia

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Project Runway Australia is the inaugural series based on the original American version by the same name. It follows 12 aspiring fashion designers as they compete to create garments for specific challenges which are scored by a panel of expert judges. On offer for the winner is $100,000, a car and a career launchpad.

In this instalment, the designers are challenged to use car parts to create a fashionable outfit that encompasses the sporty and racy theme of a Grand Prix. Moreover, they will be working in teams of two and the stakes prove higher than ever when they are told two contestants will face elimination this week. With a short deadline and a shared workspace, confrontations are inevitable and the claws come out.

Although faithful to the tried-and-true American format, host Kristy Hinze and mentor Henry Roth are not nearly as engaging as their American counterparts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. Most of the up-and-coming Australian designers lack any the appeal or brashness that would normally arouse the interest of loyal viewers.

This hybrid of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy  and The Apprentice is unique enough to compete, and there is no questioning the show's fashion cred, but it does have anticlimactic tendencies. That said, the judges should do their best to keep safe the producer's go-to guys for quirky comments, Leigh and Mark, as their flamboyant and over-the-top antics are the show's best asset.

Project Runway Australia airs on Arena on Monday, July 21, at 8:30pm.

Brad Gray, July 2008