Project Runway season 20 contestants: Meet the 14 returning designers

The 20th season of Project Runway is set to premiere Thursday, June 15, at 8 PM ET on Bravo. With the show reaching its 20th year on television, it will have an All-Stars edition this time around, which will include the best designers from all 19 seasons of the show for the first time.

There will be three judges on the show this season: Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell, and Elaine Welteroth. Christian Siriano, a world-renowned fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, will mentor Project Runway season 20 contestants.

The Bravo official website has also released the guest judges list, which includes celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, Billy Porter, Zac Posen, Stacey Bendet, Wes Gordon, Lena Waithe, Law Roach, and Jennie Garth.

Project Runway season 20 will feature Paulina Porizkova, Sergio Hudson, Julia Fox, Willy Chavarria, Kate Chastain, Luann de Lesseps, Batsheva Hay, Coleman Domingo, and Steven Kolb as guest stars.

The winner of Project Runway season 20 will not only receive $250,000 but will also obtain a mentorship from CFDA and their work will be featured in Elle.

A total of 14 contestants will be taking part in Project Runway season 20, including Brittany Allen, Prajjé Oscar Jean Baptiste, Laurence Basse, Fabio Costa, Bishme Cromartie, Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie, Mila Hermanovski, Rami Kashou, Viktor Luna, Korto Momolu, Nora Pagel, Kara Saun, Hester Sunshine, and Anna Yinan Zhou.

There are 14 contestants participating in Project Runway season 20

1) Brittany Allen

After appearing on season 18 of Project Runway, Allen started her own clothing line as known as Brittany Allen. While she is known for her bright colors and unique clothes, she also takes great care to make them comfortable for her customers. The eco-friendly nature of her business and its affordability have also made it quite popular.

Bravo describes her participation in the show as an opportunity “to scale and expand her brand even further.”

2) Prajjé Oscar Jean Baptiste

Prajjé Oscar Jean Baptiste appeared on Project Runway season 19, where he was known for his "avant-garde" designs. In the years that followed, he began creating pieces inspired by the "vintage glamour era" for his own clothing line.

Additionally, his clothing designs have been featured in magazines such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar Vietnam, and Rolling Stone. The goal of his return to the show is to “expand his brand and support his family with the prize.”

3) Laurence Basse

Along with being a designer, Basse was once a Parisian model. She appeared in the show's season 15. According to Bravo, after the show:

“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.”

According to her, she is returning for Project Runway season 20 to “exhibit her exceptional talent.”

4) Fabio Costa

The show featured Costa in season 10, and he started the clothing line NotEqual after the season. According to his Bravo description, this brand focuses on:

“Fabio’s brand celebrates his unique approach of disregarding traditional measurements to create clothing that feels custom made for the individual wearing it.”

His reason for coming back is to win the prize in Project Runway season 20.

5) Bishme Cromartie

Originally from Baltimore, Cromartie has learned about fashion and styling through exploration and creation.

As a contestant, he competed in season 17 of Project Runway. He moved to Los Angeles after the season ended and made garments for many celebrities, including Lizzo, Saweetie, and Jennifer Hudson.

Further, Cromartie also has an e-commerce platform for direct-to-consumer sales. A number of publications have featured his designs, including Elle, Vogue, and WWD.

6) Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie

Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie is known for designing "dramatic and elevated evening gowns." He has designed clothes for celebrities such as Reba McEntire, Elle King, and Naomi Judd. Bravo describes his inspiration for this season as follows:

“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.”

7) Mila Hermanovski

Mila appeared in the show's seventh season. In addition to designing costumes for movies and television shows, she established her own clothing line after the season ended. Many of her designs and styles have been featured in movies, including Top Gun: Maverick and Barbie, which has not yet been released.

Additionally, her designs for Mrs. America received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Period Costumes.

8) Rami Kashou

His designs have been worn on the red carpet by celebrities such as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Queen Rania of Jordan. He appeared on the show during season 4.

A number of publications have featured his designs, including The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, WWD, and ROM.

“He finished second only to Christian Siriano in Season 4 and returns to Project Runway determined to claim the title.”

9) Viktor Luna

Following his appearance on season 9 of the show, he became a "go-to designer for celebrities." His designs have been worn by Jennifer Lopez, Lil' Kim, Laverne Cox, and Danielle Brooks.

Currently, he operates an e-commerce clothing site. Besides this, he has also had his designs published in a number of magazines, including Vogue and Elle.

10) Korto Momolu

Korto Momolu designs are known for their bold colors. She draws inspiration from her African roots for most of her designs. Since appearing in season 5, she has worked with celebrities such as Mary Steenburgen, Jill Scott, and Miss Universe Leila Lopes. Bravo's description states:

“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.”

11) Nora Pagel

She was 21 years old when she appeared on the show in its first season. She earned her fashion design degree from Pratt Institute.

After leaving the show, she worked hard to improve her designs, and now she is the creative director of Authentic Lifestyle Products.

In addition to this, she has also worked with companies such as Champion Athletics, Target, Kenneth Cole, and Kendall + Kylie.

12) Kara Saun

In addition to being an alum of season 1, Kara Saun has worked on projects such as Disney's musical franchise The Descendants as a costume designer.

She has also designed pieces for celebrities such as Zendaya, Zoe Saldana, Queen Latifah, and Snoop Dogg to wear on the red carpet.

She wants to win Project Runway season 20 to support children's charities with the prize money.

13) Hester Sunshine

After appearing on Project Runway season 17, Sunshine worked hard to build her clothing brand, Hesta. Specifically, the brand is dedicated to making "size-inclusive nonbinary" clothing to make people feel comfortable and confident about their bodies.

According to Bravo's description, Hester is returning to the show for the following reasons:

“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.”

14) Anna Yinan Zhou

After competing in season 19 of the show, Anna Yinan Zhou started her fashion line known as ORAZ. Numerous publications have featured her work, including Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar Bulgaria. Her Bravo description states: