Kara Saun on the red carpet of Disney's "Descendant 2" premiere at Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California on July 21, 2017.

Not winning "Project Runway" was the best thing to ever happen to Kara Saun.

For the 58-year-old fashion designer and 11 others, being part of 2004's inaugural season of the design competition series cemented their place in fashion reality television history.

Though Kara Saun was Season 1's runner-up, the Los Angeles-based designer tells USA TODAY "Project Runway" has been the highlight of her career and she's glad she didn't walk away with the top prize.

"I would have taken the money and then I would have embarked on a different path in my life," Kara Saun reflects.

Two decades later, "Project Runway" remains on television. The Season 21 finale premieres Sept. 25, airing on Freeform and streaming on Hulu and Disney+, following past seasons on Bravo and Lifetime). The season is hosted again by supermodel Heidi Klum.

USA TODAY caught up with some of the former contestants to find out where they are now, 21 years later.

'Project Runway' runner-up Kara Saun uses her platform to give back

"Project Runway" became a tour de force for the reality sphere, requiring budding fashionistas to compete in timed design challenges and present their creations to the judges, which have included designer Michael Kors and top Elle editor Nina Garcia. Tim Gunn, then-chair at Parsons The New School for Design, mentored the young designers and became a fan favorite.

The show's winner earned a cash prize, mentorship opportunities and an editorial feature, but Kara Saun is candid about why losing to fellow designer Jay McCarroll was a win.

She wasn't contractually tied to a partner – who at that time would have included now-disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose company Miramax produced the show – and for the first decade after the show, she didn't have to open her portfolio once, she says. Instead, jobs fell into her lap, notably, as creative director for Disney's "Descendants" franchise.

She says "even in those early meetings with ... the folks at Disney," people were familiar with her work. On one of her projects, "one of the producers was like, 'Oh my god, I have this one artist or actor that's difficult, but I saw how you work on 'Project Runway.' You'll be able to keep everybody in line,'" Kara Saun recalls.

Over the years, Kara Saun has worked with countless celebrities, including Queen Latifah, Kevin Hart and Mary J. Blige, but some of her favorite work has been with her nonprofit, The Fashion FairyGodmother. Established in 2024, the nonprofit partners with different organizations to help children in foster care or those experiencing homelessness.

In recent years, The Fashion FairyGodmother and Pasadena's Union Station Homeless Services have partnered to host a Halloween fashion show for unhoused children in the area. Children pick a costume, get their hair and makeup done, and strut their stuff in a fashion show for the community, and Kara Saun says it's not just about giving the kids a costume but a "fairy tale day that these kids will remember forever."

Trading 'Project Runway' fashion for ponies

Kara Saun isn't the only former "Project Runway" contestant who finds meaning in giving back.

Vanessa Riley, 55, placed ninth on Season 1. Though she was successful on paper after leaving the show, she wasn't happy.

"By the time I opened my fourth store, I was clinically burnt out," she tells USA TODAY. In 2010, Riley shuttered her stores and never looked back.

When Riley later adopted her first pony, it "catapulted me into the next mission in my life," Riley says.

Around 2015, Riley founded Peace Love & Ponies, a party entertainment service featuring dressed-up ponies in Houston, where she lives today. Riley says she's helped rescue more than 30 ponies in the Houston area over the past decade.

"If I died tomorrow, I'd be proud of myself. If I died straight after 'Project Runway,' I would not be proud of myself," Riley says.

Getting back to his roots

Contestant Daniel Franco saw "Project Runway" as an escape from his family's business. His father opened the Los Angeles Albertson Wedding Chapel in 1974, and Franco took over in 1999. But he had a burning "passion for fashion."

When he was cut from the show, Franco, now 53, says he was devastated, but it wouldn't be his last time on the series. He also competed on Season 2 and "Project Runway: All Stars" Season 5.

Throughout it all, Franco managed the chapel back home, and he found more gratitude for the stability it provided.

"Once my father passed away many years ago, his spirit kind of said, 'Son, I'm very proud of you. This is something that you'll never get rid of.' And I really feel that way about it," Franco says.

Franco says the chapel hosts between 600 to 700 weddings a year and almost everyday is like its own fashion show.

"We're a second-generation wedding chapel, but I've taken it to a place that's much more stylish. To me, it's my greatest achievement."

What about the others? 'Project Runway' winner and cast from Season 1

Many of the other contestants from Season 1 have flown under the radar, notably first place winner Jay McCarroll. He doesn't have an online presence but according to his IMDb profile, he worked as a set costumer for a handful of "Orange Is the New Black" episodes.

Other Season 1 contestants included:

  • Mario Cadenas
  • Starr Ilzhoefer
  • Nora Caliguri Pagel
  • Alexandra Vidal
  • Kevin Johnn
  • Robert Plotkin
  • Austin Scarlett
  • Wendy Pepper

Third-place finalist Wendy Pepper died on Nov. 12, 2017, from complications of pneumonia. She battled cancer for several months leading up to her death, according to local news outlet Middleburg Life.

Robert Plotkin, now a sales associate for a real estate company in Miami and Starr Ilzhoefer, made headlines in 2019 for facing federal charges for mortgage fraud.

But contestants Austin Scarlett, Kevin Johnn and Alexandra Vidal appear to still manage their own fashion lines.

Though Season 22 has not been announced for the long-running series, fans will have a fashionable finale – and a treasure trove of past episodes to remember for now.

This story was updated with additional information to a quote shared by Kara Saun.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where are they now? Catching up with 'Project Runway' Season 1 cast, 21 years later

Reporting by Greta Cross, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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