Michelle lesniak
She now runs her own company Weird Specialty , which provides creative consulting services to companies. The former Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago surprised audiences when she came to Project Runway young and hungry, having a keen eye for design but only four months of sewing experience. Ayoung-Chee is still a designer, selling her clothes primarily through digital commerce from her home in Trinidad and Tobago.
She maintains a bright outlook on design, selling heavily color-blocked and patterned resort wear.
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Yet another double winner, Dmitry Sholokhov first gained attention in season 10 of Project Runway for his drab black garments with spare pops of color. Sholokhov would go on to easily win that season, and later win the fourth season of Project Runway: All Stars. Since his wins, Sholokhov has remained the creative director of his eponymous brand, pumping out those chic garments in primarily black hues.
He also worked as an instructor at his alma mater, Parsons School of Design. Michelle Lesniak Franklin came to Project Runway in her 30s after 10 years of experience in the wine industry.
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This lack of formal training gave her an edge, with Franklin quickly becoming known for her rule-breaking garments, that eventually helped her win the show's 11th season. The Portland native continues to design prolifically, premiering her brand in limited runway shows and multiple local boutiques. Keen on intricate tailoring and optical illusions, Dom Streater quickly became the geometric whiz of Project Runway.
Straight off the reality hit, Streater took a job as a sweaters and knitwear designer for Urban Outfitters, while simultaneously working on her own label. Streater has since parted ways with the lifestyle chain, working full time as lead designer for her own Dom Streater Studio in Philadelphia. Sean Kelly was an immediate favorite of just about everyone on Project Runway , including the fans.
While Kelly may have been known for his evening wear on season 13, he made a swift pivot post-win to swimwear. His company Hercules New York remains prominent in the men's swim scene, finding a niche in artful speedos pushed to queer men.
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For several weeks early on, Franklin was on losing teams. At one point, she wondered whether she was a bad luck charm. But as the season neared its end, Franklin bounced back -- until her momentum screeched to a halt with a challenge to create a look for a Marie Claire magazine shoot. Judge Nina Garcia instructed the designers to let their imaginations go and not show her just another pair of pants and a T-shirt.
Franklin's design incorporated full-cut pants and a layered top. But host Heidi Klum said Franklin had one last "do or die" opportunity to stay in the running. Her spirits were so low after losing the Marie Claire challenge that Franklin almost bailed out.
Franklin was convinced her design was strong and that the winning design, by fellow finalist Stanley Hudson, also consisted of "a pair of pants and a tank top," with a jacket. They were like, OK, you're really emotional right now. At this point, all my roommates were packing for Europe, and they were so excited and giddy to be flying somewhere. I was alone in a room in New York by myself.
Her lack of formal training gave her an edge; there were no rules to follow. As a self-proclaimed, professional rule breaker, Michelle won the season and the ability to design full-time, a luxury many designers never achieve. Fun Facts: Favorite color — dirty chartreuse.
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Chihuahua lover. But Franklin says her husband, Manny, talked her into giving it another try for Season To be considered, Franklin filled out a questionnaire and sent in a video talking about herself and her work. If you make it past the first few rounds, "they invite you to a location to show your work to a panel of judges," which for Franklin meant going to Seattle.
She showed some of her designs to a panel of three, which included a representative from Marie Claire magazine; Vancouver, Wash.
Michelle lesniak franklin divorce: Michelle Lesniak (born July 14, ) [1] is a Portland based fashion designer, best known as the winner of the eleventh season of Project Runway, [2] and the seventh season of Project Runway: All Stars. [3] Lesniak was born in Portland, to a family of quilters, seamstresses, and interior decorators.
When she found out she made it into the Season 11 cast, Franklin recalls, "I screamed every obscenity in the book. And I was at home by myself, watching college softball, of all things. I screamed, and did a dance, and then I immediately called my husband. A goal in trying out for "Project Runway," Franklin says, was to bring attention to her designs.
Filming began this past July, and though Franklin can't reveal how she fared in the competition, she describes the "Project Runway" experience as transformative. Adding to the interpersonal dynamic of Season 11 is a "Project Runway" first: Designers will work in teams for the entire season. But she says her experience working in the wine industry, as an assistant winemaker, wine educator and other tasks, gave her experience working with groups.
While employed in the wine field, Franklin found that she yearned to get back to a different form of creativity.