The twenty-first season of the American reality competition series Project Runway premiered on July 31 and concluded on September 25, 2025. It marked the first season to air through cable network Freeform, departing from its previous run on Bravo since its 2004 debut. The season featured twelve contestants competing in garment design challenges, with participants eliminated throughout the competition based on judges' critiques until a winner was determined.
After initially departing in season sixteen (2017), German model Heidi Klum reprised her role as head judge alongside Colombian journalist Nina García returning, with stylist Law Roach joining the judging panel for the first time. Christian Siriano (winner of season four) also came back as a mentor for the designer contestants. Michael Kors returned as a guest judge for the season finale. Former contestants Jesus Estrada (of season seven) and Caycee Black (of season nineteen) returned to compete again.
Veejay Floresca became the first transgender woman to be announced as the winner of a season. She received a cash prize of $200,000, a six-month representation from Agentry PR, a mentorship with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and a magazine spread in the American edition of Elle. Jesus Estrada and Ethan Mundt ultimately finished as runners-up. After concluding its season finale, the series was later renewed for a twenty-second season by Disney Television Group.
Development During the bankruptcy of the Weinstein Company, the series was considered an asset which was later reacquired from entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal in 2018. They soon rebooted Project Runway and returned to their previous cable network Bravo, starting with its seventeenth season (2019). Coincidentally the former host and mentor, German model Heidi Klum and television personality Tim Gunn, left the series after both signed a project deal for production company Amazon MGM Studios.
After its twentieth season concluding in 2023, it was uncertain if the series would be renewed for a twenty-first season. Later it was speculated that its release window would take place in 2025. The Hollywood Reporter first reported that cable network Freeform renewed the series and closed a distribution deal on October 17, 2024. It is co-produced by Alfred Street Industries and Spyglass Media Group for a ten-episode run premiering the next year. South African film producer Gary Barber, with Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Nan Strait, and Dan Volpe are served as executive producers.
People confirmed that Klum will return for its forthcoming season, after departing from the series since season sixteen (2017) on January 3, 2025. Former mentor Gunn felt "devastated, then kind of humiliated" for being excluded in returning, explaining to People, "I thought, how lucky am I to have had the experiences that I've had over the last 20 years? [...] I've come to terms with it. Am I disappointed? Sure. And most of all, it's about not working with Heidi, but we move on and [...] I don't know what the reason is yet, but it will be revealed."
The rest of the judges panel for Project Runway was revamped and announced to the public on March 24, 2025. This included Colombian journalist and permanent judge Nina García returning, with stylist Law Roach joining alongside. Fashion designer Christian Siriano, who won in season four (2007), returned as a mentor for the designer contestants.
Marketing A first-look teaser was later released on May 19, which featured Klum dressed in a peach-colored gown. As she centered herself in a Colosseum-like structure, Klum shouts out, "I'm back! And it's good to be home." It showed the season premiere date being on July 31 for Freeform, ending the teaser with, "Get in, or you're out."
Eleven guest judges and twelve contestants were revealed on June 11, set to appear in the upcoming season. Jesus Estrada and Caycee Black returned to compete again, alongside Veejay Floresca who competed in the Philippine iteration (2008) of the franchise. A promotional trailer for the season was released on July 1, showcasing the workshop, runway scenes, the main stage, and confessionals. Within nine days of its release, it gave momentum for the series approximately receiving 42 million views across social media platforms, reported by Deadline Hollywood for Freeform.
To further promote the series, Roach and Siriano appeared on televised program Good Morning America (GMA), where they had three contestants design and create an outfit dedicated to caffeinated beverages on July 17. Belania Daley won the challenge with Klum wearing the garment for GMA on August 6. The judges have also promoted the series on various media such as Nightline, The View, and Entertainment Weekly.
Celebrity guests or judges are listed in chronological order:
Episode 2 Alycia Scott, actress and producer Sara Foster, actress and producer
Episode 3 Sofía Vergara, actress and television personality
Episode 4 Lisa Ann Walter, actress and comedian Chris Perfetti, actor
Episode 5 Jenna Lyons, fashion designer and businesswoman
Episode 6 Christian Cowan, fashion designer Joan Smalls, model and television personality
Episode 7 Zac Posen, fashion designer Mickey Guyton, singer and actress
Episode 8 Nikki Glaser, actress and comedian Harris Reed, fashion designer
Episode 9 Cynthia Erivo, actress and singer Ariana Grande, actress and singer Paul Tazewell, costume designer Tyra Banks, model and television personality
Episode 10 Michael Kors, fashion designer
Contestants + Contestant Age Hometown Finish Outcome Caycee Black 44 Houston, Texas Episode 1 12th place Alex Foxworth 32 Greensboro, North Carolina Episode 2 11th place Angelo Rosa 35 Providence, Rhode Island Episode 3 10th place Joseph McRae 33 Charlotte, North Carolina Episode 4 9th place Madeline Malenfant 30 Nantucket, Massachusetts Episode 5 8th place Joan Madison 60 New York City, New York Episode 6 7th place Yuchen Han 30 Xining, China Episode 7 6th place Belania Daley 34 Long Island, New York Episode 9 4th place Antonio Estrada 36 Mazatlán, Mexico Jesus Estrada 36 Mazatlán, Mexico Episode 10 Ethan Mundt 30 Utica, Minnesota Veejay Floresca 39 Pasay, Philippines
Progress Legend:
+ Contestant Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Veejay IN LOW IN HIGH IN LOW HIGH IN Winner Ethan IN LOW HIGH HIGH IN LOW HIGH Runner-up Jesus HIGH HIGH IN HIGH IN SAVE HIGH Runner-up Antonio LOW IN HIGH LOW LOW HIGH HIGH OUT Guest Belania IN HIGH IN LOW HIGH SAVE OUT Guest Yuchen HIGH IN IN IN LOW OUT Guest Joan IN IN LOW LOW IN OUT Guest Madeline IN IN IN IN OUT Joseph LOW HIGH IN OUT Guest Angelo IN LOW OUT Guest Alex IN OUT Guest Caycee OUT Guest
Episodes
Broadcast The twenty-first season premiered two episodes through Freeform at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on July 31, 2025. It also was released throughout various streaming services such as Crave for Canada simultaneously, alongside Disney+ and Hulu for the United States with next-day availability starting on August 1. Subsequently, the series moved its new time slot to 10:00 p.m next week on August 7.
Reception Media outlets praised the series for returning, alongside Klum, but also criticized it when they learned Gunn was not involved this season. He revealed that an executive producer offered him a cameo appearance, but he declined, as it was not reasonable to return for a short time, which upset many fans of the franchise.
After showcasing their contestants, Ethan Mundt was quickly well-received by various publications, as he also appeared on another television series titled RuPaul's Drag Race (2021).
Veejay Floresca was announced as the winner of Project Runway, becoming the first openly transgender woman to be a winner within the franchise. For her prize package, she received a cash reward of $200,000, a six-month representation from Agentry PR, a mentorship with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and a magazine spread in the American edition of Elle.
The series was renewed for its twenty-second season by Disney Television Group on October 21, 2025. The current judging panel and mentor will return and serve as executive producers.
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