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Heidi Klum’s Project Runway return has been a true homecoming for the 52-year-old superstar.
Klum returns for the revamped 21st season of hit fashion competition, which features familiar faces Nina Garcia and Christian Siriano, and a new judge, image architect Law Roach.
“It feels so good to be back — it feels like I feel like I never left,” Klum tells PEOPLE in an exclusive cover interview ahead of her return on July 31. “In the beginning, I was part of selling this concept to various different television stations. And they were like, ‘Why would we want to watch a TV show where people are sewing?’ And I had to come up with why it’s exciting, because when you are in the fashion industry, that is what is exciting.”
“My fashion heart still goes [crazy] when I see something fabulous, when I see an amazing dress, when someone does something new. I’m like, ‘How did you come up with that?’ I’m still amazed at people and their talent,” she adds.
In 2004, Klum started hosting and judging Project Runway, leading to a 16-season run until she stepped back from the show in 2017. She hosted all 20 seasons of Germany’s Next Top Model since its premiere in 2006 and is still at the helm as host, judge and co-producer. Then there was the 11 seasons she sat at the judges table on America’s Got Talent (plus many entrepreneurial ventures and endorsement deals along the way).
“I’m a workaholic, control freak,” she admits. “I’ve been so focused with the shows that I have been doing and making sure that everything that comes out of them looks good. I love what I do.”
While slipping back into the Project Runway rotation has been seamless, Klum always remains surprised by the level of talent from the contestants. Plus, the addition of Roach as a new judge has been exciting to watch, as he serves up his high-fashion IQ with a side of juicy drama.
“Law Roach is so fun. I don’t think I’ve ever known Project Runway to have bleeping, but there’s a lot of bleeping going on,” she jokes. “And I’m not mad at it. He gets so fired up about things, and I love when people are passionate about their job.”
Max Montgomery
As for Siriano, Klum calls him her “Project Runway baby” after he catapulted to design superstardom when he won season 4 in 2007.
“It’s always good to have a fresh eye, because you kind of fall in love with these designers and you know a little bit about them, but when someone new comes in and they say something about them, it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t think about it that way,'” she says.
At the end of the day, Klum says the show doesn’t feel like work. “You always have these amazing designers standing there with shining eyes. They want to break into this industry and here is their opportunity. And I always loved being part of that. I always loved finding great new talent.”
One person noticeably absent from the Project Runway stage is Tim Gunn, who hosted alongside Klum during her first run on the show. Gunn was not originally asked to return for season 21 and eventually declined to join the show in a small capacity, despite Klum fighting for him.
“Of course I miss him, he has been my television husband, and it all started with him,” she says. “We just became this odd couple that people enjoyed watching, and 17 years later, we did so many amazing episodes together. So for me, yes, of course I’m going to miss him.”
Max Montgomery
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As for the fashion behind the show, Klum continues to be “amazed” by talent. And while the fashion world dictates that one day you’re in and the next you’re out, for Klum bold style is always IN.
“I always like an outfit that sings and dances before I put it on. I’m not into snooze,” Klum says of her own wardrobe choices. Her best accessory? A “good mood.”
“To be in a good mood and to have a smile on your face. I still believe that this is our best accessory.”
Stay tuned for more from our exclusive interview and photo shoot with Klum ahead of Project Runway’s hotly anticipated season 21 premiere on Freeform, Hulu and Disney+ starting Thursday, July 31.
