Tim Gunn [1] and Heidi Klum [2] are back together again! After leaving [3] Project Runway [4], the duo are now cohosting Making the Cut, Amazon Prime's new fashion reality competition series [5]. Unlike other shows, which tend to focus on a single aspect of competition, Making the Cut not only tests designers' fashion abilities but how capable they are at the business of fashion as well. The prize for the winner includes a whopping $1 million to support their fashion-empire dreams!
The contestants for the first season of the show range from young designers just getting their brands off the ground [6] to industry vets with decades of experience, but they all have one thing in common: a genuine love for fashion. Ahead of the show's March 27 debut, meet the dozen contestants who will be competing for the title.
Sanders Bos
Sanders is the youngest designer in the competition, at only 24 years old! He's based out of Belgium, where he was raised and graduated from design school, and he currently runs self-named fashion line of avant-garde styles.
Rinat Brodach
Born in Israel, educated and based out of the United States, Rinat already has some big-name clients for her sleek, minimalist chic: Adam Lambert [7], Billy Porter, and Laverne Cox are among her celeb clients.
Ji Won Choi
With an international background including South Korea, France, and the US, this activewear-focussed designer brings a casual-cool aesthetic that's been worn by Kendall Jenner and Beyoncé already.
Jasmine Chong
Malaysia-born and New York City-based, Jasmine comes from a family of designers and seamstresses. She produces a fashion line named after herself that's full of flowy, feminine pieces.
Jonny Cota
He runs Skingraft, a streetwear-focussed brand with clothes for both men and women. His style has caught the eye of some major celebs, including Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj.
Martha Gottwald
In her brand Neubyrne, Martha embraces bright, sunny colours and bold prints. Although her career — and life — was nearly derailed by a near-fatal car accident she suffered just before graduating college, her fashion is endlessly cheerful and creative.
Troy Hul Arnold
Troy doesn't just make fashion — he teaches it! He's an adjunct professor at the famed Parsons School of Design, as well as creating his own gender-blurring line of menswear-inspired pieces for women.
Joshua Hupper
Pictured here (left) with his co-founder Qiaoran Huang, Joshua works out of Shanghai, where their Babyghost brand is based. Their designs are fresh styles targeted at young women with a fun twist.
Esther Perbandt
Esther is a true renaissance woman. Not only has she been running her menswear-inspired brand for 15 years (including 10 years with a physical store in Berlin), she's worked in the performing arts in film, theatre, and music.
Will Riddle
Unlike some of the other contestants, Will has yet to launch his own label, but that doesn't mean you should count him out: he's had gigs working at Oscar de la Renta, 3.1 Philip Lim, and Kith.
Sabato Russo
He's the oldest designer in the competition, at the age of 64, and he's got the decades of experience to back him up. He owns a brand, Sartorial Monk, as well as his own self-named line based on the idea of simple but elite fashion, based out of Italy.
Megan Smith
Megan runs her own line out of Los Angeles, Megan Renee, which features from bold colours and creative structural elements for a vaguely 1970s-meets-modern look.
Watch the Trailer For Making the Cut