A Canadian spinoff of popular American reality TV series Project Runway is getting a revival, almost two decades after the original adaptation aired. Project Runway Canada is returning to Canadian audiences this year, this time with two new local fashion powerhouses at the helm — Jeanne Beker, TV personality, former host of the iconic FashionTelevision and Streets of Toronto’s resident style expert, and model and advocate Coco Rocha.
The fashion competition show will see some of the country’s emerging designers competing in a series of challenges for the chance at an industry breakthrough. The winner of the first season of the original Project Runway Canada was Evan Biddell, while the most notable winner of the American version of the show is Christian Siriano.
Coco Rocha will play host and judge, emulating the style of the first two seasons, which saw fashion model Iman as host and judge, while Jeanne Beker will also be a judge. Previous seasons saw former ELLE Canada editor-in-chief Rita Silvan and designer Shawn Hewson as judges, alongside designer Brian Bailey as a mentor to contestants.
The announcement, released on Tuesday, comes shortly after the news that Project Runway will be returning for season 21 with the show’s original star, Heidi Klum, back at the helm and Christian Siriano joining the cast as a mentor to contestants.
Season three of Project Runway Canada will debut on Crave later this year, and casting is now open for designers — the casting call notes that all applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 21, and available for filming from the end of June to mid-September.
The series is produced in collaboration with Fashion at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University, and the show will be filmed within the school’s facilities.
“Canada’s fashion culture and industry deserves to be celebrated, and this is the perfect moment to spotlight homegrown designers,” said Carlyn Klebuc, general manager of original programming at Bell Media. “PROJECT RUNWAY is already an iconic franchise, and we can’t wait to give it a distinctly Canadian twist.”
Additional cast members will be announced soon
