The second season of the fashion reality show
Project Runway premieres on the Series channel on Friday night (July 14 at 19h00) and when it does we’re going to meeting
Kara Janx - a South African contestant who’ll be designing her stuff on the show.
Having had such a blast watching the
Finale of the first season of the show I’m looking very forward to following this season religiously from the start and the fact that there’s a South African in it’s gonna make even groovier.
To get in the mood for it I gave Kara a phonebuzz in New York to find out more about her and to get as much gossip as possible – without any questions about whether or not she wins of course.
Tashi: In the show you’re introduced as being from Johannesburg South Africa – definitely not New York – so there’s a very strong focus on you being South African in the show?
Kara: Ja, a big focus. I’ve become an American citizen but my roots and my heart’s still in South Africa and I sound so South African. I think they used it as part of their marketing of the show etc and I was happy because I wanted to be an advocate for South Africa.
Tashi: Yes, it gives them a different edge. From the looks of it you were the only foreigner?
Kara: That’s it – which was nice. The accent in this town gives you a lot of credibility, which is amazing.
Tashi: Really – do they like South Africans?
Kara: They eat it up.
Tashi: I reckon Charlise Theron's so ridiculous to not have kept her South African accent and spoken American in her movies.
Kara: Heh, me too, I find it so strange. When she’s on TV I’m always like: “Right poppie.” An accent is not something you lose quickly.
Tashi: Did you grow up in Joburg?
Kara: Yes, I grew up in Joeys in the Northern suburbs.
Tashi: How long have you been in New York?
Kara: Eight and half years.
Tashi: What made you decide to go?
Kara: I originally wanted to pursue my Masters in architecture and work here. I did my undergrad and then you do six months or a year internship before your masters so I wanted to come do that here and you just get stuck in this town. I worked at an architecture firm and then I started doing fashion classes in the evening.
Tashi: Did you manage to make money out of fashion from then already?
Kara: No, for the first three years I made nothing. Anything I made went into my business.
Tashi: Whereabouts in New York do you live?
Kara: I’m in Midtown – on 34th and 9th avenue. I did live in China Town.
Tashi: Really? What’s that’s like?
Kara: It’s good for like a day. It’s crazy – it’s a whole different beast – it’s like Shangai, it’s amazing.
Tashi: Why did you enter Project Runway?
Kara: I’d watched the first season and I just thought it was a genius show. For me it really brought two worlds together ‘cos I love being in front of the camera – for what reason, I have no idea – and also I wanted to take my business to another level.
It was just kinda time to get out there and I felt ready for it. I felt it was the perfect platform – it’s been so well received and has such integrity so I thought “I’m just gonna go for it.”
Tashi: Did you agree with Jay winning the first season or did you think Kara Saun or Wendy Peper were better?
Kara: I thought Jay was fantastic. I thought his collection was strong – he had a strong personality and a definite point of view. I was rooting for him. As far as I was concenred he was the clear winner. He was very consistent through the show – as was Kara Saun but I thought Jay had a whole ‘nother punch.
Tashi: After the show he didn’t actually use the seed money he won to start his own line ‘cos he said the contract with Banana Republic was too limiting and my first thought when I heard this was that he was too lazy to actually follow through. What do you think?
Kara: Probably. The contract has some restrictions but I think he was a fool not to take the money. You think bigger things are going to happen so I think he wanted to wait a bit to jump on the bandwagon but I think he waited too long. It’s difficult but I dunno – he hasn’t really done anything that’s kind of “Oh wow, fantastic,”
Tashi: I’ve been wondering what the news is with him – has he actually done anything?
Kara: He did a documentary type-ish show about six months ago called Project Jay – I thought it was gonna be a series of say eight – and that’s pretty much all he’s done. You never really hear about him, there’s always titbits here and there with promises of things to come and nothing ever really comes into fruition.
Tashi: So he was just too lazy.
Kara: Exactly – but I’m not allowed to say it!
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| Kara's Episode 2 Designs |
Tashi: What was the process of getting onto show like in the beginning?
Kara: First off was the casting call which meant you had to come with three garments of clothes and then you had present yourself to a panel of judges. You had five minutes to talk, you showed them your pieces, blah blah, they ask you a couple of questions and then they give a yes or a no nod.
If you got a yes nod they gave you a piece of paper saying you had 24 hours to do a three-minute interview film where you say your piece and you had to get it to Los Angeles by the next morning – which is already a challenge.
I sent the video off and then it was a process of pyschological interviews, backround checks and phonecalls – it’s quite rigorous. I remember the woman calling me and saying: “You got through to the next round” and I was like: “Oh my God!” and she was like: “Calm down, it’s just the next round.”
It’s six or seven rounds we had to go through and then they told us a few days before the show started. They totally pounce it on you.
Tashi: How did living with everybody impact on your designing?
Kara: The living situation is so minor in the whole process of things. You’re back at the apartment for maybe five hours a day and four of those you’re sleeping. You’re just like whatever, you just tolerate and don’t really care ‘cos you know this is the situation you’re gonna be in.
It didn’t impact on the design nor on the dynamics of the relationships so much – I think it impacted on the boys more so but not so much the girls.
Tashi: Did you feel like an outsider being South African?
Kara: Oh no, no – they absoluetly adored it. Everyone would take off the accent. I was like the little gimmick – they were totally big fans.
Tashi: Out of everybody – who was your favourite character?
Kara: Nick was my favourite character during the show. We were close – which you don’t really see a lot of but we were super close. I absolutely adored him and he absolutely adored me. We were attached at the hip.
Santino is also such a riot – but then he’s also such a dick.
Tashi: That was my next question – who was your worst?
Kara: Zulema was my worst.
Tashi: Why?
Kara: She’s very hard core. She wasn’t fair, she wasn’t very accomodating – she was always screaming and carrying on and just being mean spirited. You’ll see – it’s hard to explain. Santino as well, he was quite an obnoxious character. He was very funny but also very obnoxious – like two sides of the coin. Everyone has their good and bad sides.
Tashi: So with him it was love/hate but with her it was just loathe?
Kara: We actually got on very well – we lived together in the same room and we were actually really friendly – it was behind the cameras and post-show that you saw the sort of mean spirited – like … backstabber? I dunno.
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| Kara's Episode 3 Designs |
Tashi: Can you tell us something that happened in the show that we don’t get to see?
Kara: What you see on the show is a summary of what happened. It’s very true to character and there wasn’t something drastic that happened on the show you guys won’t see. Everything that was the most dramatic or the most glorious you’ll see.
Tashi: What’s Heidi Klum like up close?
Kara: She’s drop-dead gorgeous. She’s got a great sense of humour – she's so personable and down-to-earth. She’s fantastic.
Tashi: Does she have gorge skin? I always think it must be amazing.
Kara: She’s just beautiful. She’s perfect.
Tashi: What was the most difficult thing about being on the show?
Kara: You have to have a lot stamina – it’s pretty exhausting. It’s difficult to keep going.
Tashi: What was the easiest and most enjoyable thing?
Kara: Probably the designing – mmm, but you see, it wasn’t easy. Nothing was easy – our field trips were nice and easy. A little time out was enjoyable but there was so little of it. The whole thing was enjoyable – it was an incredible experience.
Tashi: The show was broadcast in the US from December 2005 through to February/March this year. Where did you watch and who did you watch with?
Kara: Every week we’d get together - my friends and people visiting the city and my fiance – there was always a nice little crowd of people who’d gather at my apartment in China Town.
We’d order Chinese food and watch the show. It was fun and nerve-racking ‘cos I hadn’t seen the show prior to it airing. I was like: “Oh my God – how are they gonna edit this one?” You’re really scared because you do the show and you don’t really think about the consequence of everything and then a few months down the line you have to sit down and watch yourself – it’s just wild.
Tashi: Were you happy with the way they presented you?
Kara: Ja I think they did a cool job. I wasn’t malicious or viscious and they didn’t make me what I wasn’t so I was really happy.
Tashi: Was there anything about yourself that you discovered that you didn’t know before?
Kara: I was quite good in front of the camera. I was confortable and also I realised that I wasn’t as confident as I could be. I’m not as confident as I should be.
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| The Kimono Dress |
Tashi: In what way did being on the show change your designs?
Kara: Not so much what I designed. It definitely helped evolve my designs – they’ve progressed. I got a 101 injection in terms of fashion design. Because youre working so intensely it motivates you to do more and more and more. I’m more competitent in my design I think.
Conceptually it definitely pushed me out of my commercial box that I’ve been in for the last couple of years. When you’re designing for the runway you’ve really got to push the boundaries and be more theatrical to get your point of view across.
Tashi: What impact has being on the show had on your career:
Kara: It’s been incredible. It’s taken my business to a whole different level. I’m selling this one dress that’s shown on the show by the thousands. It’s called The Kimono Dress and it’s wild because I wore by sheer accident and it’s generated this madness.
Michael loved the dress when I wore it, he was like: “Oh Kara did you make that?” and I’m like “Ja, I did,” and suddenly it became a little phenomenon. I sell it wholesale to boutiques and
online.
The show’s been so so positive – for my business and my life.
Ends