Team BPR thanks Kenda for this transcript.
BPR INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL DRUMMOND
This is a transcript of an interview with Season 8 designer, Michael Drummond. Audio file can be accessed here.
BPR: This is Laura Kluvo from Blogging Project Runway and I’m on the phone with season 8 designer, Michael Drummond! Hi Michael,
Michael D: Hi, hi Laura, hi everybody.
BPR: Are you familiar with Blogging Project Runway?
Michael D: I am familiar with Blogging Project Runway; I believe I was on there just the other night.
BPR: Our readers disagree with your elimination and…
Michael D: Yeyyyyy, thank you (laughs).
BPR: And also felt that you should have won the hat challenge!
Michael D: I saw that! Thank you.
BPR: Yes and congratulations on your fashion week show, that must have been exciting!
Michael D: Oh my God it was amazing! There’s so many amazing things that I’d love to say but I just can’t talk about them, (laughs) it was amazing.
BPR: Well can you tell us how did you select your models for the Fashion Week show?
Michael D: Yeah! Uhmm well you know the, we get kind of like the leftovers, if it were, the left over beautiful girls and I remember wanting something very strong and statuesque and sort of maybe not exactly like that…I don’t know how to say this without sounding rude, but I just didn’t want this like, classic idea of beauty and I wanted girls that could pull off an androgynous look. So I was looking for girls obviously who could walk really wonderfully and who were very tall but also had almost like, almost like a boyish face.
BPR: And how did you create that sort of like X-Ray technique on your fabric? That was really cool.
Michael D: Thanks! I, you know what, like so many great things it happened on accident. I was trying to dye a sweater and it just don’t want to dye all the way through and so I was like well this is for the runway and I’m not going to get it back so I’m just going to airbrush it and when I removed it off of my mannequin that I had painted on it left this amazing effect that looks like an X-Ray and so I was like, that was the point I needed to like you know solidify the collection and so basically I took, I made a bunch of knits, like a made knit dresses, really loose knits and I put them over an existing garment and airbrushed them so it looked as if, you know, and it was really amazing it was really, really, really nice airbrush and it was a really expensive paint so it was like absolutely just like this fabulous knit I mean it left, it looked like an X-Ray, it was amazing, I was really happy.
BPR: That was a wonderful technique; I was just staring at and thinking how did he do that? Is it a sun print? I had no idea, and I think it’s very original and I had never seen anything like that
Michael D: Thanks! You know when I saw it, I about cried, I was so happy!
BPR: Have you returned to designing knitwear?
Michael D: I did! Well I just got home so, in St. Louis, so I am designing a show for Washington University, were going to do Three Penny Opera and I want to have a minute of just sit down, you know what I mean? but there were knits on the show and I’m a knitwear designer so that’s how I make most of my money but I’m going to start adding some wovens and some patterned out woven pieces so that, makes sense? So I’m doing knits for the show at Wash. U.
BPR: Who was your best friend on the show Michael?
Michael D: Oh my God, uhmm, you know there’s like, I’m really happy to report that you know the relationships that I made managed to stay strong, like they didn’t falter because of like you know, competition and I really just I adore Christopher Collins I mean he’s such a gem of a person, he’s so fabulous, but with that said, I also loved, oh my God, Andy and Mondo, you know I mean their so sweet, believe it or not I really get along with Ivy really well, you know we were able look past things and just be honest with each other and I really like her so you know I don’t have a best friend but I really loved a lot of people and I feel really, really good around Christopher Collins, like we don’t, were very much like similar I think minded people, we’re not big complainers.
BPR: Have you watched the previous seasons of Project Runway?
Michael D: I saw a little bit of episode, I’m not sure, think it was 4, it was the one where Leanne won…I watched a lot of that.
BPR: Oh, that was season five.
Michael D: I thought it was a smart show you know.
BPR: Do you feel like the judging it’s more insane this season than in previous seasons?
Michael D: I feel like they’re really, really mean this season, I mean we were like…
BPR: I do too.
Michael D: They felt like there was not an iota of constructive criticism, I felt like it was, just so scandalous and for TV, you know, than anything and I feel like their judging their point of view, I mean I hate saying this, but I think that they would pick the most awful things to win and not all the time but a few in particular and you know I think that we never knew what they were looking at and I it just made everyone crazy, like all of the contestants, if I can be so presumptuous to say…
BPR: The viewers can see that too, yeah trust me, we could see that. Michael, what was the best thing about being on Project Runway?
Michael D: You know it really opened up my eyes about design, I think it really changed, you know, I think it’s pretty obvious, for me anyway, like I learned how to edit more, I learned more about how to take criticism, I mean I think I’ve become very strong, you know because there’s a lot of people who don’t like my work. You know, but I think there’s also a lot of people that sit at computers all day. But there’s a lot of benefits, I got to meet some fabulous designers I got to share things with Tim Gunn, my work it’s all over the place now, you know, I mean I think there are countless things that are fabulous about being on the show.
BPR: Besides your own collection, whose finale collection did you like the most?
Michael D: Hmmm, I really loved April’s, I really loved Mondo’s
BPR: Those are my two favorites!
Michael D: Oh my God! We have so much in common.
BPR: How about that? (laughs)
Michael D: I loved Mondo’s, where you at the show?
BPR: Of course!
Michael D: God, those tights that April; made were fantastic. You know, I remember, can I just say this; we were all like, looking at Valerie’s and thinking oh my God, she’s made a huge mistake! And then it’s on the runway and, and we’re like oh my God, she’s brilliant!
BPR: I liked hers too.
Michael D: I liked that we all had this, sort of eat, eat our words, you know. I think a lot of us were really worried for Valerie. I’m not going to say this but even the people who you wouldn’t expect us to support, we started supporting we started supporting in the end, so it was a tight knit group, I mean we wanted every to look, to have good work
BPR: I think one of the benefits of going to and hour and half long show is that we know all of the designers so much better than in previous seasons.
Michael D: Oh cool, so you’re digging it...
BPR: Yeah, definitely. Now Michael, we’re almost out of time, is there something else you’d like to say to your fans?
Michael D: Oh, I’m glad that I have fans! I don’t know it’s been really, really amazing to hear, just to have all this support and you know, I’m completely honored that anyone would like my aesthetic, I always feel honored about that, if they want they should follow on Twitter and on Facebook you know, that way I could let them know if I’m ever in their area, they should come and say hi.
BPR: Thank you Michael.
