After much cat-fighting between networks and the ensuing endless delays, Project Runway Season 6 is finally scheduled to debut on Lifetime on August 20. Of the 16 new contestants, two have Minnesota ties (this in the same month that CNN named Chanhassen the second-best place to live! We’ve arrived!) Ra’mon-Lawrence Coleman, who recently moved to Minneapolis from Chicago, and Christopher Straub of Shakopee will both follow Katherine Gerdes‘ (season 3) footsteps down the runway—and hopefully help put fashion fly-over country on the map.
I’ll be honest: I had never heard of either designer. Coleman, who was named Apparel Designer of the Year in 2002 by the Black Fashion Museum in Washington, D.C., does dramatic, surprisingly sophisticated womenswear under the label Ramone-Lawrence Designs. I think his aesthetic will serve him well on the show, and at the very least garner clientele locally. I’m really digging this tank + tulip skirt dress below, which MObama could totally wear.
Straub is less expected, which also makes him perfect Runway material. His Cricket Syndicate line of underwear briefs are made from vintage T-shirts. You can also customize a pair (specifically, the crotch) using a favorite tee, which makes me curious to see how his cheeky approach to fashion plays out on the show.
I do hope our hometown boys will bring the MN nice, which could make for some really good TV when the claws come out. As if you watch for just the the fashion.
