Off the Runway, On to the Real World

The glare of the reality tv spotlight has dimmed. Project Runway Season 3 is now history and for those who did not win it’s back to the real world.

For fan favorite and fourth place finisher Michael Knight, that means going home to Atlanta, where armed with a $10,000 check for being the fan favorite, he has now set about the task of establishing his own line, and where he may singlehandedly raise the profile of that city’s burgeoning fashion industry. He’s already the best known designer down there, at any rate.

Since the show finished taping he’s been a local celebrity in great demand. The Art Institute of Atlanta has launched a new bachelor of arts degree program in fashion and retail management, and Knight was the guest of honor at their gala reception. Everybody wants to interview him or just bask in his glow.

He has launched a new website, where among other things we see a new spelling of his name, “Mychael”. (It remains “Michael” in all the text, however.) He’s also coming out with a new fragrance soon as well as a line of men’s and women’s lingerie called “Kitty & Dick.” “Nuff said.

Having made his mark designing for R&B and hip hop artists based in the ATL, it will be interesting to see which direction his career goes, since he has stated publicly his preference for living there as opposed to relocating to either NY or LA. Will his designs have appeal beyond the Dirty South and help to create a third fashion center? Or will the fashion police dictate that he move closer to the center of their universe in order to get any respect? Make it work, Michael.

Auf Wiedersehen!