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New cast of 'Project Runway' includes Twin Cities designer

The season 13 cast of "Project Runway" includes Twin Cities fashion designer Tim Navarro.

June 24, 2014 at 7:59PM
Twin Cities designer Tim Navarro offers viewers a visit to his home on the "Project Runway" website.
Twin Cities designer Tim Navarro offers viewers a visit to his home on the "Project Runway" website. (Randy Salas/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Another Twin Cities fashion designer is going to get a chance to "make it work."

"Project Runway" returns for Season 13 on July 24, and local fashion designer Tim Navarro has made the cut, it was announced Tuesday.

Navarro, 32, is the sixth Twin Cities designer to compete on the show. Nobody locally has ever won, but Navarro thinks he has what it takes.

"I feel that my background in tailoring lends itself to my success within the show," Navarro said in a Q & A on the Project Runway website. "I just have to allow my creativity to take control. The rest is just muscle memory."

Navarro is known locally for his design label TIM + THOM, which he runs with his twin brother, Thom Navarro. He was co-owner of the "You and Me" boutique in Uptown and is currently a server at the Mill Northeast in Minneapolis.

The announcement is sparking excitement in the local fashion community. Designer Rachel Roff tweeted: "Thrilled for local designer and friend Tim Navarro! Now who has cable TV?"

Navarro will have to impress judges Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen and mentor Tim Gunn in order to advance to the next level. Tim Gunn will have one opportunity to rescue a designer from being eliminated.

Over the years, a handful of local designers have appeared on the show, solidifying the Twin Cities as a fashion scene to watch. The first contestant was Katherine Gerdes, followed by Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman (now based in New York), Christopher Straub, Danielle Everine and Raul Osorio. In season six, Christopher Straub won the "Fan Favorite Award."

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In a video on the "Project Runway" website, Navarro gives a tour of his Burnsville home and closet and talks about his love for vests. Navarros specializes in menswear, but he showed off one of the first dresses he made, a hand-gathered, one-shouldered frock in cherry red.

More on Navarro from the Project Runway website:

• He realized he had designer potential when he saw his brother making money off of designs he created. "I thought, I'm a tailor and am just as creative as he is; if he can do it I can," he said.

• He calls the competition with his brother "healthy."

• No fashion school for Navarro. He's a self-taught tailor. "You could say my mom taught me to sew, too. My twin brother and I would have to alter our own clothes by hand if we didn't like the hand-me-downs we received from our brothers and sister."

• In true Minnesota fashion, Navarro's favorite style icon is Prince. "It can get a little crazy but every time I'm like, 'Damn! That man can Dress.' I admire his confidence."

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• If he could dress First Lady Michelle Obama, he'd put her in a sleeveless boat-neck, form-fitting, knee-length dress with a sheer back or deep scoop back.

• His dream place for setting up a fashion business would be Minnesota.

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