After heading home to work on their Fashion Week collections, the five finalists are visited by Tim who is not impressed with everything they have created so far. The designers return to New York and present the judges with 2 pieces from their collection. With only three spots guaranteed for Fashion Week, everything is on the line.
Eager to give aspiring designers a chance to break into the notoriously difficult-to-crack fashion world, supermodel Heidi Klum will once again head a panel of industry luminaries, including top women's and men's wear designer Michael Kors and Elle Magazine fashion director Nina Garcia, who will serve as judges and industry mentors charged with selecting and molding the budding designers. There will also be guest judges each week based on the specific challenge. Timballoonn, Chair of the Parsons The New School For Design, will return to guide the contestants through each of their challenges.
The winning designer will walk away with $100,000 in seed money to help them launch their own line. The winner's designs will be featured in a spread in ELLE, photographed by the magazine's world-renowned Publication Director, Gilles Bensimon. They will also receive a mentorship from the Banana Republic Design Team.