MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American designer and Miss Universe 2022 winner R’Bonney Gabriel is among the contestants competing on the 22nd season of “Project Runway.”
The upcoming season of the fashion-centered reality series is the biggest in the show’s history with 22 designers in contention under the watchful eyes of Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Law Roach and Season 4 winner Christian Siriano.
“From 16 years of sewing, and sooo many hours of watching ‘Project Runway,’ I thought it was time to enter the workroom,” R’Bonney said on Instagram. “Design has been my passion since I was young, and it’s a dream come true to join this season.”
Other notable contestants are “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 16 contestants Plane Jane and Q, costume designer Bao Tranchi and Joseph McRae, who was on the most recent season won by Filipino designer Veejay Floresca.
Upon her win — 17 years after competing in the inaugural Philippine edition of “Project Runway” — Floresca became the first openly trans person and the first of Filipino descent to come away victorious.
R’Bonney is the first Filipino-American to be crowned Miss Universe, though even before pageantry she has practiced sustainable clothing after graduating with bachelor’s degree in fashion design with a minor in fibers.
She launched her debut collection “How to Survive on Land and Sea” during Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2024 and followed it up with last year’s “And The World Was Hers” collection in Dallas, Texas.
“Project Runway” Season 22 premieres on Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+ this July 9.
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