Just four days left until our new obsession — Making the Cut — drops on Amazon Prime Video! The globe-hopping search for the world’s next big fashion brand is hosted by our favorite dynamic duo: Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, and features 12 designers competing for the chance to take their brands to the next level. But who are the deciding minds behind who makes it to the next episode and is one step closer to the million dollar prize? Meet the panel of Making The Cut‘s charismatic and opinionated judges, each representing a different facet of the fashion industry and each at the top of their game:
Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Chiara Ferragni, Joseph Altuzarra, and Heidi Klum (Courtesy)
1. Naomi Campbell
Can you say “icon?” Of all the supermodels who defined fashion in the ‘80s and ‘90s, none has had a longer, more robust, and more diverse career than Naomi Campbell. At 49 years old, Campbell is still walking the runways for everyone from Tommy Hilfiger to Valentino and appearing on the covers of the world’s top magazines and in the industry’s most high-profile campaigns. She was even named Models.com’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Social Media Star of the Year and Readers’ Choice Model of the Year. All of which is to say that not only has she seen it all and worn it all, but she’s as relevant and vital to the fashion industry now as she ever was. Definitely the kind of person any designer would be lucky to have in their corner. And if we know Naomi… she’s going to dole out some zingers!
Naomi Campbell (Courtesy)
2. Chiara Ferragni
Ferragni is one of the OG fashion influencers and arguably the most famous influencer in the world. Her 2018 wedding to Fedez garnered more media impressions for her dress designer, Dior, than Meghan Markle did for Givenchy at her own wedding to Prince Harry just a few months earlier. She’s also a very successful designer in her own right. Given the ever-increasing importance influencers play in driving fashion commerce, Ferragni is an invaluable resource and ally for any designer and someone these contestants would do well to listen to.
Tim Gunn, Chiara Ferragni, and Heidi Klum (Courtesy)
3. Nicole Richie
Celebrity endorsements are essential for brands looking to make an impact in a crowded fashion space, which is why having Nicole Richie on the judging panel is so smart. Richie also has her own very successful line of clothing and accessories, House of Harlow 1960, which she launched in 2008. The success of her brand is thanks in no small part to her commitment to keeping her price points and designs accessible to a wide audience, something all the designers on Making the Cut will have to keep in mind if they want to win the competition (not to mention the $1 million in prize money).
Nicole Richie and Naomi Campbell examine a contestant’s design up close (Courtesy.
4. Carine Roitfeld
The former editor-in-chief of French Vogue and the founder of CR Fashion Book, Roitfeld is a giant of the fashion industry and one of the most powerful editors in the business. If she supports someone, the rest of the industry will follow, and something tells us that support is going to be hard won, to say the least.
Carine Roitfeld, Joseph Altuzarra, Nicole Richie, and Naomi Campbell (Courtesy)
5. Joseph Altuzarra
Of all the judges on Making the Cut, Altuzarra probably has the most in common with the competition’s designers. He launched his namesake brand in 2009 after stints at Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, and Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci. He won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize in 2011 and the Swarovski Award for Womenswear Design at the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards when he was still just 29. If anyone knows what it takes to launch a global fashion brand from scratch in this day and age, it’s him!
Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Chiara Ferragni, Joseph Altuzarra (Courtesy)
If the designers can win over this crowd, the rest of the world should be no problem.
Making the Cut debuts Friday, March 27 on Amazon Prime Video.
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