Project Runway 20×8

S1 – Kara Saun (S1 – 2nd place)
Hometown: Landsthul, Germany
Current home base: Los Angeles, California
Instagram handle: @kara_saun

Kara Saun, an OG from Season 1, is a force to be reckoned with. Over the years, she’s achieved remarkable success in film and television. Most recently, she was the costume designer for the first three films of Disney’s hit musical franchise “The Descendants” as well as serving as the fashion/creative consultant for Disney’s consumer products for all three films. Kara’s designs have also graced the red carpet, with such celebrities as Zendaya, Zoe Saldana, Queen Latifah and Snoop Dogg among those who have worn her creations. Despite her professional accomplishments, Kara, known as the Fashion Fairy Godmother, is most proud of her charity work, which she calls “artivism” — the intersection of art and social/environmental activism. Kara Saun returns to “Project Runway” for this all-star season to honor a promise she made to Barbara Anne Saunders, her beloved mother, mentor and muse who recently transcended. With a renewed focus on donating the prize money to the various kids’ nonprofits she sponsors through her initiative the Fashion Fairy Godmother, such as the Cameron Boyce Foundation and Kids in the Spotlight, she’s determined to spread her Fairytale magic on the Runway this time and take the win.

S1 – Nora Pagel (S1 – 8th place)
Hometown: Cheshire, Connecticut
Current home base: Metuchen, New Jersey
Instagram handle: @noracalpagel

Nora Pagel made her debut in the first season of “Project Runway” at just 21, unaware of the cultural phenomenon that lay ahead. She holds a degree in fashion design from Pratt Institute and has a background in fine arts. Today, she’s the creative director of Authentic Lifestyle Products in New York, advising and creating products for private and branded label apparel companies. Nora has collaborated with such major companies as Champion Athletics, Target, Kenneth Cole and Kendall + Kylie. She now resides in a New Jersey suburb with her husband and two children. With a keen eye for trends, Nora aims to create affordable yet high-quality garments. Almost two decades since her first appearance on “Project Runway,” Nora returns to the show to showcase her ability to create stunning runway looks. She champions the idea that it’s never too late to follow your own dreams aside from your daily work and life, and strives to show her kids that vision.

S3 – Johnathan “Kayne” Gillaspie (S3 – 5th place, All Stars 2 – 9th place)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Current home base: Nashville, Tennessee
Instagram handle: @johnathankayne

Johnathan “Kayne” Gillaspie, a Nashville native, is a renowned fashion designer who specializes in creating dramatic and elevated evening gowns. Since his appearance in Season 3, Kayne has designed gowns for several celebrity clients, including Reba McEntire, Elle King and Naomi Judd. Today his clothing line has expanded, with his gowns selling in 450 retail stores. In addition, he’s launched a line of children’s gowns for petite royalty. Kayne was hired by Naomi Judd to create a stunning custom gown for the Country Music Television Awards, one of her last appearances before her tragic death. Kayne has been happily married to his partner for seven years. Although he’ sin an amazing space overall, Kayne wants to break free from being labeled as the “pageant designer” and be taken seriously as an artist. He comes back to this all-star season with a unique voice and confidence, ready to prove that his fantastical aesthetic can translate into all types of garments.

S4 – Rami Kashou (S4 – 2nd place, All Stars 1 – 8th place)
Hometown: Ramallah, Palestine
Current home base: Brooklyn, New York
Instagram handle: @ramikashou

Growing up as the son of a former Miss Jordan, Rami Kashou was always destined to be a designer. He’s known for his extravagant red carpet looks and has dressed such notable clients as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Queen Rania of Jordan. Since appearing in Season 4, Rami has relocated to New York where he finds inspiration in his roots and strives to pay homage to his homeland through social impact embroidery design projects that are imbued with personal meaning, reflecting his childhood memories and Palestinian culture. Rami is passionate about designing for “diverse women” and using his e-commerce platform and brand to empower women through cultural artistry. His designs have been featured in such prestigious publications as the The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, WWD, and ROM magazine. Rami is committed to staying true to his refined sense of style and ensuring that everyday women who are draped in his designs feel celebrated and timelessly glamorous. He finished second only to Christian Siriano in Season 4 and returns to “Project Runway” determined to claim the title.

S5 – Korto Momolu (S5 – 2nd place, All Stars 3 – 2nd place)
Hometown: Monrovia, Liberia
Current home base: Little Rock, Arkansas
Instagram handle: @kortomomolu

Korto Momolu is a designer who draws inspiration from her African roots and incorporates bold colors into her designs. She creates outfits for women of all shapes and sizes who want to make a statement. Since her time in Season 5, Korto has designed gowns and looks for personal clients and celebrities such as Mary Steenburgen, Jill Scott and Miss Universe Leila Lopes. She also has an eco-friendly jewelry line that was featured at Smithsonian Museum stores and designed the uniforms for the Walton family’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Korto is excited for her future and the next chapter of her life. She’s a mother of two, with her daughter heading off to college and her 9-year-old son keeping her busy. With her strong design identity and two previous runner-up titles on the show, Korto is confident and poised as she returns for “Project Runway All-Stars.”

S7 – Mila Hermanovski (3rd place, All Stars 1 – 6th place)
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current home base: Los Angeles, California
Instagram handle: @planetmila

Mila Hermanovski made her mark in the fashion world after appearing in Season 7 of “Project Runway.” She established her own self-titled line while continuing her longtime career as a costume designer working on numerous hit TV shows and movies, including “Top Gun: Maverick” and the upcoming Barbie movie. Despite the successful trajectory of her brand, Mila decided to retire her line and focus on costume design, which has earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Period Costumes for the hit series “Mrs. America.” Known for her clean lines, graphic designs and love of black, white, and neutrals, Mila has evolved her style to include a softer aesthetic. She believes that after experiencing personal and professional highs and lows, she can weather any storm and is continuously evolving. At 53, Mila returns to “Project Runway All-Stars” to prove that it’s never too late to chase after your dreams and achieve success in your second act.

S9 – Viktor Luna (S9 – 3rd place, All Stars 3 – 5th place)
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Current home base: Los Angeles, California
Instagram handle: @VIKTORLUNA

Since his initial appearance in Season 9, Viktor Luna has established himself as a go-to designer for celebrities, dressing big names such as Jennifer Lopez, Lil’ Kim, Laverne Cox and Danielle Brooks. In addition to his celebrity clientele, he runs a successful e-commerce clothing site. Viktor draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources – from nature to dark fairy tales to sci-fi, and loves creating pieces that combine seemingly disparate elements such as classic patterns with bold colors and silhouettes. His designs have graced the pages of such top fashion magazines as Vogue and Elle, as well as People en Español. With a decade of experience under his belt, Viktor returns to “Project Runway All-Stars” more confident than ever and ready to tackle any challenge that comes his way.

S10 – Fabio Costa (S10 – 2nd place, All Stars 4 – 5th place, All Stars 6 – 3rd place)
Hometown: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Current home base: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Instagram handle: @notequal

After spending 12 years in New York, Fabio Costa returned to his home country of Brazil where he currently resides and works on his fashion line, NotEqual. Fabio’s brand celebrates his unique approach of disregarding traditional measurements to create clothing that feels custom made for the individual wearing it. Since his appearance in “Project Runway” Season 10, this fashion veteran has evolved his style to be more body-conscious and colorful while still incorporating his signature use of androgynous designs. Fabio participates annually in Brazil’s prestigious House of Creators fashion show, where he will present his sixth collection in July. With a new collection and online presence in the works, Fabio returns for this all-star season with his sights set on winning big and establishing his brand. As a two-time “Project Runway” finalist, he feels more than prepared to compete against his fellow designers and take home the prize.

S15 – Laurence Basse (S15 – 3rd place)
Current home base: Los Angeles and New York.
Instagram handle: @laurencebasse

Laurence Basse, a former Parisian model, remains the epitome of chic. After her appearance in Season 15, she has continued to showcase her refined design aesthetic, creating bespoke garments for A-listers while retailing her men’s and women’s fashion and accessories on her e-commerce site. Her impressive clientele includes NBA stars such as Dwight Howard and Serge Ibaka and renowned actors that include Aldis Hodge, Jada Pinkett Smith, Yvonne Orji and Gina Rodriguez. Recently, she designed a dress for two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy. Laurence’s style harmoniously blends edginess with glamour, and masculinity with femininity. Having grown up in a family of 11 children, Laurence values hard work and never takes her success for granted. Despite her accomplishments, Laurence aspires to international brand recognition. She returns to “Project Runway All-Stars” for a second chance to exhibit her exceptional talent to the world.

S17 – Bishme Cromartie (S17 – 4th place)
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Current home base: Los Angeles, California
Instagram handle: @bishme_cromartie

Bishme Cromartie is a self-taught fashion designer hailing from Baltimore. After competing in Season 17 of “Project Runway,” Bishme moved to Los Angeles and worked hard to establish himself as a prominent designer, creating garments for some of Hollywood’s biggest names such as Lizzo, Saweetie and Jennifer Hudson. He also runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. Bishme’s design aesthetic is a unique blend of avant-garde with a touch of streetwear that has garnered attention from such top publications as Elle, Vogue and WWD. Recently, Bishme suffered the loss of his sister to cancer and he’s dedicating his comeback to her memory. He’s determined to live his life to the fullest and make her proud by winning big on “Project Runway.”

S17 – Hester Sunshine (S17 – 2nd place)
Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Current home base: Brooklyn, New York
Instagram handle: @besta_hesta

After Hester Sunshine’s appearance in Season 17 of “Project Runway,” their brand exploded, including a partnership with Meow Wolf and combining their accessories line with new clothing designs to create their clothing brand, Hesta. Their priority is creating size-inclusive nonbinary clothes that flatter the human form and make everyone feel beautiful. They recently showcased their designs at New York Fashion Week and featured punk rock, avant-garde-inspired creations for those who embrace nonconformity. Hester returns to the runway with predominantly agender designs, hoping to use the all-star win to bring nonbinary fashion to the forefront of the industry.

S18 – Brittany Allen (S18 – 6th place)
Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Current home base: Austin, Texas
Instagram handle: @brittanyallen.atx

A fan favorite from “Project Runway” Season 18, Brittany Allen hit a streak of success with her eponymous line. With home exercising on the rise, she recently pivoted and struck gold in creating fun, colorful fashion pieces that were as eye-catching as they were comfortable. Despite her booming success, Brittany remains committed to keeping her business eco-friendly and affordable, fulfilling most orders in-house. Since her time on “Project Runway,” Brittany has married activewear and contemporary fashion into one concept while continuing to design contemporary ready-to-wear. She returns to the all-star season with her sights set on continuing to scale and expand her brand even further.

S19 – Anna Yinan Zhou (S19 – 7th place)
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Current home base: San Francisco, California
Instagram handle: @oraz_ny

Anna Zhou is a fashion designer who gained national attention as a contestant in Season 19 of “Project Runway.” Since her debut on the show, Anna delivered her most amazing design yet: a baby boy! Currently balancing motherhood and running her fashion line, ORAZ, Anna has transformed her aesthetic. Pushing past her signature use of stunning gowns in black and white, she now welcomes color while experimenting with glitter and blush hues. Most recently, she showcased ORAZ’s couture collection at NYFW. With her work featured in publications like Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar Bulgaria, coupled with becoming a new mom, Anna feels like an empowered new woman ready to return to the “Project Runway” workroom. She’s excited for a second chance at redemption and to win the judges over with her fresh aesthetic and enhanced confidence. Her hope is that when other Asian designers see her back on the show it will inspire them to persevere and always work hard for their dreams.

S19 – Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste (S19 – 8th place)
Hometown: Haiti
Current home base: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instagram handle: @prajjeoscar