(B to F, L to R) Project Runway returns for Season 13 with 18 all-new designers, including Emily Payne, Tim Navarro, Kini Donovan Zamora, Charketa Glover, Alexander Knox, Sean Kelly, Fade Zu Grau, Nzinga Knight, Korina Emmerich, Kristine Guico, Emmanuel Tobias, Caroline Slutskaya, Angela Sum, Mitchell Perry, Sandhya Garg, Jefferson Musanda, Hernan Lander and Samantha Plasencia, Fashion’s favorite reality competition is back! “Project Runway” season 13 premieres on Thursday, July 24th at 9/8c on Lifetime. Here’s what you need to know about the brand new season:

1. The winning designer will receive $100,000 from Red Robin to help launch his/her business and the opportunity to design a fashion accessory for all the Red Robin servers. Season 13’s beauty sponsor is Mary Kay and the accessories wall is provided by ALDO. Other sponsors include Lexus, Marie Claire magazine, Brother, Samsung, and Best Western International.

2. Lifetime’s #RunwayRedemption contest invited “Project Runway” fans to vote one lucky former contestant back to the competition — who will it be? Season 11’s Amanda Valentine, season 12’s Alexander Pope, or season 12’s Ken Laurence?

3. The #RunwayRedemption winner will join the 18 new designers for the final stage of the audition process — but only 16 will make the cut and move on to the first official challenge.

4. For their first challenge, the designers must create a look using only the contents from their “mystery trunks.”

5. The Tim Gunn “save” is back — meaning he can override the judges and save one designer from elimination.

6. Emmy award winning actress Julie Bowen from “Modern Family” will join the panel as the season’s first guest judge. Other guest judges this season include Elisabeth Moss from “Mad Men,” Shay Mitchell from the hit series “Pretty Little Liars,” Olympic gold medalist downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, entertainer Dita Von Teese, fashion designer Christian Siriano, British television personality and renowned photographer Amanda de Cadenet, and YouTube celebrity Bethany Mota.

7. Five of the 18 new designers call Brooklyn, NY home — Sean Kelly, Nzinga Knight, Kristine Guico, Korina Emmerich, and Jefferson Musanda.

8. “Project Runway” is creating a one of a kind, full-season experience with Instagram. Use #InstaRunway on Instagram to show your look inspired by each week’s Project Runway challenge, and your photo could be shown on-air during the following episode!

9. “Project Runway” will be at your fingertips in the most interactive season yet. Play along on your mobile phone, tablet or computer while you watch live on Thursday nights by voting on trivia questions about the episode, who has the best look, and who you think will get auf’d.

The top five scorers each week will be featured on-air at the end of each episode. The more questions you answer, the higher your chances of seeing yourself on the leaderboard. Whether you’re on computer or mobile device, just navigate to myLifetime.com and log in using Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram on Thursdays starting at 9/8c to play while you watch!

10. Help your favorite designer win a weekly prize of $1,000! Two ways to vote:

1. Vote online by clicking your favorite designer’s bubble and then clicking the “vote” button.

2. Tweet your vote by using the designer’s hashtag on Twitter

Votes will be counted once every 5 minutes on the site and Twitter. Voting opens each week on Thursday at 9 pm ET and closes the following Wednesday at 12 pm ET. The winners will be revealed during each episode and the designer with the most votes throughout the season will win a grand prize of $10,000!

Now you’re ready to enjoy “Project Runway” season 13 — happy watching!

One of the greatest rewards of being a designer is seeing your work come to life. I love when fans share photos rocking their Mondo designs! It inspires me to keep pursuing this crazy fashion dream.

Thank you for the love, everybody! Keep sharing your photos with me on Facebook and on Twitter @LoveMondoTrasho!! xo, MONDO

Brandi in the Jackie 3D Boatneck

Madison in the Chevron Dress

London in the Chevron Dress

Mindi in the Hypno-Dot Boatneck

Heather in a one-of-a-kind design from Mondo’s online sample sale

Maggie in the Chevron Dress

Christina in Mondo Guerra for Crocs

HUGE CONGRATS to Oscar Lopez for his big win on Project Runway: Under The Gunn! And a high-five to his mentor, Nick Verreos, for winning, too.

Wish you guys ALL THE BEST!!

xo,

MONDO

By Mondo

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come from the most unlikely places and take you on an unexpected journey. In the case of my F/W14 collection, it started with a super villain from a comic book.

Last February, I previewed my collection at a fashion show for artSMART Santa Fe, benefiting youth arts education in New Mexico. It was inspired by Selina Kyle — the secretary who becomes the notorious Catwoman. I was intrigued by the idea of this kind of frumpy, conservative woman turning into a very sultry, sinister rebel. I loved the contrast and contradiction there.

So I set out to capture that woman through an entirely black collection. For me, this was a new challenge, as I’m known for my love of color and print. But I wanted my spin on “Mondochromatic” to explore the interaction of different textures — like sheer vs. solid, shiny vs. matte — as well as the contrast between sophisticated and street.

Halfway through the design journey, I encountered a major block. In those moments of doubt, it was hard for me to approach the collection creatively. I felt stuck. But like carbon — which under high pressure transforms into a diamond — I realized I needed to turn this hard situation into an opportunity to shine.

So I named my F/W14 collection “C6,” after carbon on the periodic table of elements. And I felt it was perfect, really. Carbon can take many forms — from black and opaque graphite to sweet sugar and all the way to a brilliant diamond. For me, “C6” was a way to show how darkness can be beautiful and transformational.

I turned my love of polka dots into 3D form through pom poms and plexi-paillettes and translated my love of mixing prints into mixing textiles like wool, velvet and sequins. The result is a tone-on-tone celebration of fashion’s favorite color — black!

I debuted “C6” at 303 Magazine’s Denver Fashion Weekend in a 16-look runway show, collaborating with award-winning hairstylist and Shear Genuis star, Charlie Price. Our inspiration for the look was one part Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story, and one part Grace Coddington — who created some of the most iconic fashion images as the creative director of American Vogue.

And it only seems fitting to pay homage to Ms. Coddington who said, “Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you.” I think that sums up everything quite nicely.

With that, I hope you enjoy “C6.”

Love,

MONDO

(Photos by Jeff Ball | Hair by Charlie Price | Make Up by Katelyn Simkins)    

By Mondo

Click here to see the whole issue.

By Mondo

“For the last two weeks I have been reading angry comments in response to the perception that Natalia was bullied on the show. To that I say, “Balderdash!” Does anyone think that I would tolerate such a thing? I have a great deal of affection and respect for Natalia and have know her for 14 years; she was a student of mine at Parsons and I can attest to her high level of talent and aptitude. At the same time, she can drive me — and everyone else — to despair. While at Mood, her inability to make decisions would lengthen our trip by 20 to 40 minutes (I would call time and her fabric would still be uncut), the consequence being less time in the workroom. Understandably, this angered the designers and mentors. She constantly sought affirmation for her work from the other designers, too, thereby distracting them and taking up more of their time. Finally, she was incapable of calibrating her design and execution ambitions to our timeframe. It was frustrating and soul-sucking for all. Let me conclude by stating that everyone — designers, mentors, me — only wanted Natalia to succeed. And we only wish her the greatest success.”

By Mondo

It has been a very emotional week.

Following the ninth episode of Project Runway: Under The Gunn, I have received a dizzying amount of messages through social media about my reaction to the judges’ decisions — namely, my opinions about Natalia Fedner.

It didn’t surprise me that viewers would have strong feelings about my exchanges with Nick and the judges. But I did not expect the level of hostility to be so profound.

I have been largely silent about the episode since its airing — partly because I’ve been focused on the recent NYC launch of the Mondo Guerra for Crocs collaboration, but mostly because I needed time to process. Now, I’m ready to respond.

The majority of negative comments I’ve received fall into three categories: 1.) accusations of bullying; 2.) disappointment in my behavior; 3.) the belief that mentors should not question the judges. These are my thoughts on those issues.

Accusations of Bullying

Never in my comments did I disparage Natalia’s character, appearance or personhood. I simply stated my opinion about her position in the competition (a full transcript of the controversial segments are available here). Still, many feel I was being a bully. What’s more, these people have expressed their disagreement in hurtful and bullying behavior toward me.

I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow accounts, but most of the comments have been personal attacks on my character, style and appearance. I’m baffled at how people can condemn me for perceptions about my actions and behavior that they in turn perpetuate themselves.

Needless to say, I’m hurt and confused. I admit that I was indignant and emotionally charged. But I never “went there” in my own words about Natalia. And it should be noted that I shared my comments only with the other mentors and the judges — I never revealed my opinions to Natalia or the other designers. The statements and behavior of the competitors were their responsibility alone.

So I find the accusations of bullying to be a little unfair. Because I have an opinion and share it, doesn’t make me a bad person. And I don’t discredit other people for sharing their own opinions. But when someone says I’m a “horrible person” or a “whiny little bitch,” productive dialogue about the issue at hand becomes nearly impossible.

Disappointment in My Behavior

I described my reaction to the judges’ criticism of Michelle Uberreste as unleashing my “inner mama bear,” hoping that people would understand that sometimes our behavior in defense of those we care about can be intense.

I imagine that many of us have been in similar situations where we’ve shown our ferocious sides in weak moments. The difference here is that my low points were captured on camera, edited by producers, scored with dramatic music and then broadcast for the world’s entertainment. But that is the risk you take when you put yourself in the public spotlight. I have to own that.

What you didn’t see in the mentors’ lounge was that both Anya and I apologized to Nick for venting our frustrations. And Nick, in turn, thanked us for being honest with our feelings. So we had already kissed and made up before heading back to the runway for the judges’ decisions.

It was difficult to watch myself react in such a negative, emotional way. But I hope people can understand that I felt compelled to speak up and defend Michelle — I believed so strongly in her potential.

Tim Gunn has considerably big shoes to fill. He’s had years of experience guiding designers from concept to the catwalk. For me, the role of mentor is a new one and I learned on the job. And I still have a lot to learn.

Mentors Shouldn’t Question the Judges

When I said I was disappointed, it was in response to the judges’ questions. Anya and I weren’t standing there in defiance — we were asked to comment on how we felt about their decision and I answered honestly. I don’t feel like I should have to apologize for sharing my opinion when I was asked for it.

I don’t envy the judges’ positions. As a former guest judge on several seasons of Project Runway and All Stars, I can vouch that scoring can be very unpredictable. But I think that the mentors can share important context for the judges to consider.

For example, Tim Gunn came to my defense during the finale of Project Runway season eight, even going so far as to call Michael Kors and Nina Garcia “crack smoking judges” after the season wrapped. Those moments were never shown on TV, but eventually Project Runway acknowledged the value of Tim’s insight and his mentor role was expanded in season 12 to include a seat with the judges during the runway shows and even a Tim Gunn “save.”

I’m not Tim Gunn, so I’m not going to pretend that I’ve earned the right to question the judges’ decisions. But Under The Gunn set new precedents in placing some of the final decisions in the mentors’ hands. So some lines have been blurred.

Final Thoughts

I’m sorry I let you down. I wish that things would have worked out differently. I meant no disrespect toward Natalia, Nick or the judges.

I know that I have disappointed many of you and that it will take time to earn your respect again. But I hope that you will give me that chance and find a way to forgive me. I’m still the Mondo you know and love — but now you’ve seen part of my “dark side,” as well.

I wish I could say that the worst is over, but knowing what’s coming in the next episode, I’m bracing myself for a fresh slice of humble pie. Keep in mind that while the show airs weekly, the challenges come the very next day during production. So the emotions were still very raw going into this next episode.

I love you, Team Mondo, and I hope that we can steer past these bumps in the road together. Your support means the world to me and is what motivates me to keep going. Deep breaths, chin up — I’m ready to begin rebuilding your trust, if you give me the chance.

Live & Love,

MONDO xo