Cincinnatian Tessa Clark is a cast member on the upcoming Season 17 of Project Runway, which begins airing on Bravo March 14. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning program in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and interned for Marchesa and VPL in New York City.
The 17th season of the fashion competition show features some new faces, including host and supermodel Karlie Kloss, judges Brandon Maxwell (designer) and Elaine Welteroth (editor in chief of Teen Vogue), and longtime judge Nina Garcia (editor in chief of ELLE). Designer and former Project Runway winner Christian Siriano will mentor the 16 designers. The winner of this season will go home with a quarter of a million dollars.
Locally, Clark was part of the original team behind women’s clothing boutique Idlewild Woman in Over-the-Rhine, where the first collection for her garment line Grind and Glaze was initially sold. Clark became a member of local fashion design manufacturing facility Sew Valley in December 2017.
“The Midwest really lacks in production offerings for sewn garments, and Sew Valley was the solution to my problem,” Clark said via a Stories post on her personal Instagram account. “I began designing my most recent collection and SV produced it.”
Clark added that her latest line was in production while she was filming Project Runway.
Grind and Glaze is a luxury womenswear line “made from the heart” according to its website. Clark says she draws on her rural upbringing in Greenville, Ohio, the daughter of a ceramicist and miller, for inspiration for her garments. The collection is available for purchase online and at Idlewild Woman.
Clark also shared on other Stories posts to Instagram that she liked all the judges, but was partial to Nina Garcia. When asked via Instagram if her experience was “anything like you imagined it to be??” Clark responded, “Better!”
Because of restrictions from Bravo, Clark is unable to answer press questions at this time, but we'll learn more about the show and her experience when she's available for interviews.
*A previous version of this story listed DAAP as the School for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and not the College of
