
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed this show last season. I’m always up for a new fashion or design show if the concept is fresh. I liked the crop of designers last season. I liked what mentors Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, and John Varvatos brought to the table. The “new concept” that caught and held my attention was the presence of the buyers. It was very entertaining (and often very informative) to hear their opinions on the designs. The bidding process can be exciting and even surprising, and it’s fun to watch the designers react to that. Of course, there were things I didn’t love about the show and I hope they’ve been addressed and tweaked. I guess we’ll all find out together when we watch the season two premiere.
TV Goodness participated in a press call with Fashion Star’s new host Louise Roe as well as executive producer Ben Silverman. Just listening to their enthusiasm about the changes they’ve made and about these new designers made us giddy. Here are some highlights from the Q&A:
Q: What worked the first season and what did you need to tweak?
Ben Silverman: “..we obviously felt the buyers really playing the game worked amazing.”  This season “it’s even more competitive with the buyers and I just think the audience is more and more interested in real-world dynamics and shows that have real-world results and application.” “…on the tweaking side, [we] felt that we needed to get our mentors more heavily invested and connected to the process and also create a little bit of a dynamic between the buyers and the mentors.” “But the big change this year is the mentors actually have teams and are actively participating with specific designers week in, week out giving them not only advice but also working with them to try and lobby and get the stores to buy their products and their clothes.”
Q: What makes a designer worthy of a being brand rather than just someone who makes clothes?
Louise Roe: “…for some of them it was a lot of the learning curve on actually what’s more marketable and commercial, what is going to sell and how do you balance that with your own core aesthetic and the things that you believe in.” “…they took a lot of advice not just from their team mentors. I think what was cool to see — especially as the series progressed — was that yes Jessica, Nicole and John had their own team members,” but they were also “teaching the designers about brands.”
Ben Silverman: “…from Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, John Varvatos, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and the Express you’re getting the ultimate boot camp in not only design development but brand development.” “I think it is so profound within the fashion world that you connect your personality to the brand and that also creates authenticity.”
Q:Â How do you go about selecting the designers to be on your show?
Ben Silverman: “…this year specifically because the show was already on air and people saw the clothes for sale and in store and saw three or four of the people from last year not just sell through the store but continue to sell and expand their line, we had an incredible pool of talent. Everyone from the kind of F-I-T boy genius to a woman who was actually working at Elie Tahari and quit to come go on the show.” “…there were accomplished people within the fashion world already who just had never been able to get any traction on their own brands as well as new [designers] who have all the promise and opportunity…”
Q: How do you choose which department stores will be the buyers?
Ben Silverman: “…a ton of retailers who wanted to get involved with the show recognize that the show was an incredible proving ground for new designers and they’re constantly looking for new voices and new creativity.” “…specifically, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Express — are just three real brands. They’re on main street in America.” “They are the ultimate stores and…I don’t think NBC would have done the show unless there were stores like that involved.”
Q: How does a designer maintain their individuality but still take direction from their mentor?
Louise Roe: The mentors “are blunt and very honest or tactful. But I think it’s interesting to see how each designer reacts to that criticism because sometimes they do take it personally and at first they don’t listen and then they learn the hard way. Other times they really kind of do change their whole idea that week based on their mentor’s advice and then it’s kind of wow what’s going to happen right in front of the buyers.” That’s “one of the key interesting narratives of the whole journey and season because some people don’t want to listen, you know, and so it’s fascinating.” “Ben said these three [mentors are] incredibly successful in very diverse ways designers essentially giving you advice that you could never, never get otherwise.”
Q: Why does this show work?
Ben Silverman: “…there’s so much drama for the contestants on the show, every episode there’s a winner and a loser. But we wanted that same drama for the mentors, for Jessica, John and Nicole. And then obviously the buyers, this is a real job and I think that’s an element that we’re seeing in television that’s kind of exploded since The Apprentice — which is the fascination with real work.”
Need a little something to tide you over until the premiere? Her’s a look at what’s to come on this season of Fashion Star.
Season 2 of Fashion Star premieres tonight at 8/7c on NBC.
Related posts
Classics
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…