I had a lovely li’l chat with “Project Runway” Season 14 winner Ashley Nell Tipton about being the first plus-size designer to win “Runway,” the inspiration for her finale collection, and her idol Kelly Osbourne.
Well, geez, congratulations first of all.
Thanks!
How does it feel to be the first designer for plus-size women to win “Runway?”
It’s the most amazing feeling ever. I feel like I worked so hard to get to this, and it’s just paying off for all the late nights sewing and all the tears that I shed and everything that I had to go through in the past few years.
It’s a lot of validation.
It is. It definitely is. You know, going to Fashion Week and being the winner of this season’s “Project Runway” has just given me so much more confidence. I can believe in myself and I feel like I’m such a strong and talented designer. All of this has just reassured me.
Were there any moments during the season where you felt like you either really lost or really gained confidence?
I think it was always in the critiques with the judges. I felt like Nina, Zac, and Heidi always had such great feedback to give me and that’s where my confidence could grow. Just seeing my model walk down the runway challenge after challenge has made me so proud. Seeing that “Project Runway” sign at the end of the runway just made me like realize, like, “Wow, I’m on this show. I’m living every designer’s dream right now.”
Was there a particular piece of advice or criticism from one of the judges that changed your outlook?
I think it was from all the judges who told me that I needed to believe in myself and stop doubting my designs. I definitely felt a lot of positive energy coming from Zac and Nina, and it was just amazing to have this after every episode when they saw me at the bottom. They tried encouraging me to pick me back up.
How was it to work with the other designers?
Um…it was interesting. I’ve never been put in a situation with so much talent in the room. Sometimes it can be intimidating and sometimes it can be inspirational. It was an experience like no other just to talk to everybody and hear their backstories and be able to relate to them. Because we are all in this together, no matter if we’re homesick or depressed or sad or happy, we all understand what we’re going through and it’s something that we can all share together as a group. We went through “Project Runway” and only we will understand what it is to be on this show.
Do you feel that the way that cliques formed influenced the way you worked?
I don’t think the way that people grouped themselves had anything to do with my designing because my designing was me, personally.
Was there anyone in particular that made you step up your game?
Not really, no. I mean, going back to the first challenge, I never thought I would be winning that challenge, and to see that I was the first one to win, I think it just steps the game up for everybody. So it was like, this is what I can do and I have so much more to offer.
“Mexico City in the 1950s” is pretty specific inspiration for a finale collection. Where did that come from?
It was interesting. It was a whole transitioning night where I just had to sit down and think about it. I wanted to do something that had a meaning to it and that could reflect me and my heritage and represent me at the end of the day. I was going through Instagram and I had seen a picture of Kim Kardashian at the Beverly Hills Hotel. That’s my grandmother’s name, Beverly. And I thought it would be really cool if I could do something Beverly Hills-themed in the 1950s, because I just love that era. That was like my grandma’s prime time. She would tell me stories about those days. I just loved everything about the palm trees and the flowers, and I started thinking, “I’m leaning more towards kind of a Spanish theme. Well, maybe I should do Mexico City in the 1950s.” I started to look at inspirational photos of Mexico City in the ’50s and I started looking at how woman used to dress back then. And that’s where the lace came from. And then I created one of my flower pieces, and I thought I would love to create headpieces for all of my models to have more of a dramatic look – to have some type of fun look, like a hint of “me” there. You know, because I can’t put all my models in purple wigs or anything like that! But I just wanted to add a hint of me. So that’s kind of where everything came together. There was a reason for why I gravitated toward certain things and it was just my job to put it together and make it look cohesive.
Do you have a favorite piece from your New York Fashion Week collection?
Oh my gosh, there are so many because I loved them all. I think my favorite piece…I’m trying to think, like, if there was one piece that I could take home, what piece would it be? It’s either the eggplant two-piece that I made on the show or the teal two-piece with the high-waisted underwear.
Did you have any opinions on the decoy collections? [Swapnil and Merline showed collections at Fashion Week because the episodes in which they were eliminated hadn’t yet aired.]
Swapnil’s was breathtaking. I was like, “Damn, I’m so lucky that Swapnil is not in the competition right now because he would totally have won it.” His collection was amazing. It was just…I don’t even know how to explain it. I wanted everything.
How do you feel about your portrayal on the show?
I’m perfectly fine with it. The only thing is that they show me crying every second! Everybody has comments to say about it. I forgot that I cried on every episode but it was nothing I could hide. I think the way that the show portrayed me was good. There was nothing that they could have done differently to show me in some other way, because at the end of the day I’m the one that gave them the material. There was nothing that I was like, “Oh my gosh, why did they show that of me!” I feel like I didn’t really talk that much. I wasn’t a loudmouth like Kelly and Candice who would talk every time the camera was on. I felt like I was kind of the underdog that would just talk whenever it was necessary or whenever I felt strongly about something.
Was there a time during the season when you felt you should have been eliminated?
I mean, I felt like I could every episode because I was always scared. No, I mean…let’s see. No, I didn’t really. I felt like, “Okay, I could go home today,” but it was never like, “Holy s–t, I’m gonna go home.”
Now, I know you’re a really big fan of Kelly Osbourne.
Oh my gosh, love her!
I don’t know if you saw her reaction to your Fashion Week collection after the show, but it was very positive. She loved it.
No, I haven’t seen her reaction! I can’t wait to see the episode. But when I saw her again at “Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe” it was like we were high-school girls that just walked by each other and wanted to talk to each other for hours, but they were pulling us in different directions. We just immediately hugged each other. And I told her that what she told the producers to tell me kept my head up and kept me going. She basically told the producers to tell me that she believes in me and to keep going and not to lose myself in any of this. It was very encouraging, and I kept reminding myself of what she said. And she was like, “Did you get my messages?!” Just to know that she’s such a huge fan and she loves me is just amazing because she’s like, my idol. From day one of “The Osbournes” I’ve absolutely loved her. To be sitting next to her and hold her hand was just the most amazing thing ever. And hearing that she wants me to make her a gown – I don’t even know how to explain how that feels. It almost brings me to tears! That’s how much she believes in me and that’s how much she wants to be involved.
So what’s next for you?
We are potentially working with a couple department stores right now, and working on the re-launch of my website. I’m looking for investors to invest in my company so I can finally launch my line.
Sounds awesome, can’t wait!
