S: Hi Laura, so good to hear from you!
BPR: My pleasure. Congratulations on making the All-Star cast!
S: It was an honor to be a part of it.
BPR: What was the best thing about returning to Project Runway?
S: Just meeting all of the designers that I didn't know before. They are all so talented!
BPR: Have you watched all of the previous seasons?
S: I have to say I did.
BPR: So you recognized everyone?
S: There was not a single face that I was not familiar with.
BPR: Did you watch the episode last night?
S: I caught it this morning. I wasn't able to watch last night because we are still having issues from the storm.
BPR: Suede, was your home affected by the storm?
S: I was actually in the city when it hit. I was supposed to have some business meetings the next day. Those were obviously postponed. We lost power here in Chelsea - that was for a few days. Then I finally escaped to my home in the mountains. Thankfully there was no damage. My kitties were a little bit cold, so we snuggled in front of the fireplace until the power returned. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by the storm.
BPR: I am very sorry to see you go. When the six of you were left out on the runway, did you think that you were on the top or on the bottom?
S: Actually I didn't know I was on the bottom. At the moment, I believed in that garment. What threw me the most was the "wearable art" aspect of the challenge. It's such a vague term... I believed what I did was wearable art. If the challenge was to make something more commercial, my garment would have been completely different. The challenge was to make wearable art, and that was wearable art to Suede. I stand behind it.
BPR: If you could go back, is there anything that you would do differently?
S: Yes, I would not be eliminated.
BPR: Did you recognize the guest judges?
S: Yes, I did. They were guest critics at Kent State University, which is where I went to college, a couple of years ago. I did know who they were. We called them "flannel couture."
BPR: We know that you and Wendy became friends, what other friendships did you form?
S: I was friends with Joshua McKinley prior to All-Stars. As a matter of fact, he just left here about 15 minutes ago. When season 5 aired, he worked at a club that I would go to. We got to know each other there. And then when I saw him on season 9, I instantly sent him a message and we re-kindled our friendship. Of course you know that I just adore Wendy. She is such a beautiful spirit. And Josh is so talented. I would say that they are my two best friends from the cast.
BPR: What are you working on now?
S: I have a product line right now that is in about 4000 stores worldwide. I have a whole new product line that is coming out next month. We are preparing for a big launch in Feb 2013. I have some new fashion and crafting projects that are also scheduled for release in 2013, as well as a couple of literary projects. So I have been keeping myself busy.
BPR: Please keep us posted.
S: I certainly will.
BPR: We barely get to know the models, tell us a little bit about your model. What is her name?
S: Her name is Kelly. She was a very sweet and beautiful girl with gorgeous red hair. I don't know if you could see that on television. She was always so positive and happy to see whatever I had made for her. She was a wonderful model and wore the clothes so well.
You are right though, we don't really learn much about them. I'm a little disappointed about that. I also feel like we don't see a lot of the clothes.
BPR: Hopefully we will see more as the season rolls on.
BPR: Suede, we are almost out of time, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
S: I adore all of you! Thank you all so much for your support. For me and for ALL of the designers.
I also went to send a message out there: I was involved in a relationship that became domestic violence and I just want to speak out to anyone who is involved in a domestic violence situation. Please seek help. You can visit NRCDV.org or call 1-800-799-7233. No one should be in this situation. It was a very hard summer, between filming and this situation. It is just ending for me. I'm getting back to myself. Be sure to visit me at Suedesays.com.
Suede says ROCK ON!
BPR: Thank you Suede.
S: All my love to you and to everyone at BPR.
