Project Runway designer Garo Sparo has extravagance in his blood

In Project Runway season 17, Garo Sparo with his experience, skill set and sense of extravagance  invigorated the popular fashion competition show.

When a Garo Sparo design came down the runway, Project Runway fans were in for a show. Each and every piece was a statement. Even if a few looks might have pushed the conversation beyond the real world look, it sparked a discussion.

Anyone who has watched season 17 of Project Runway knows that Garo was a technical master, specifically in corsetry. Each and every week he created a look that was impeccably made. Even if you didn’t appreciate his interpretation of the theme, the design itself was impressive.

Given that Garo had significant  fashion industry experience, he used his talent and knowledge to his advantage. The time constraints in Project Runway can be overwhelming, but Garo handled the pressure quite well.

Specifically, Garo said, “In my business I’ve had many rush projects and crazy deadlines sometimes that had to be met in 24 hour or less turnaround times from start to finish. With the skill set that I have in place, this allowed me to create things a little faster which really gave me an advantage with the time constraints for most of the challenges on the show.”

Still, Project Runway is even more intense than anything in the real world. Garo said, “However, there are some where I bit off a little more than I could chew and became a little over ambitious within the time constraints. Any look where corsetry was involved was an additional 5 hours to my work load, so it made my designs a little harder to achieve in the time allotted.”

Since Garo has a successful fashion career, it was curious that he choose to be compete on Project Runway. He said, “One of the reasons I chose to audition for Project Runway is that I love to compete and why not compete in the biggest and most well-known competition for fashion designers. I had amazing castmates of other incredible designer with points of views and aesthetics that differ from my own.”

In many ways, Project Runway, the competition, can spark creative inspiration. More importantly, it offers an experience that cannot happen anywhere else. Garo said, “I also was very excited to receive input from fashion industry leaders, that I would not have been able to receive had I not been on the show.”

The show is the ultimate exposure for any designer. Garo understood that this opportunity would bring “awareness to my brand to a whole new audience all over the world! I wanted to share my views that you can feel comfortable and gorgeous in your skin no matter what size or gender you are!”

That idea of making women feeling comfortable and gorgeous in their own skin was key to his success. In many ways, those corsets gave the models a sense of strength, power and confidence as they strutted down the runway. The cincher wasn’t constricting, but empowering.

Still, the judges tried to push Garo beyond his specific design aesthetic. In the second to last episode of the season, Garo seemed to struggle with Nina’s palate cleanser look.

Even Garo himself felt that look was a struggle. “I wavered from my aesthetic during the last challenge where Nina asked me to make a tailored suit in 14 hours. With the added stress of putting the finishing touches on my accompanying garments this really proved challenging for me. There were so many changes I wanted to make to that design but simply did not have the time.”

Still, Garo understood that fashion is art. In many ways, those particular challenges seemed to be his most authentic expression.

He said, “It’s extremely important to me! I am from the sect of designers who believe in putting on a show when they produce a collection. The runway is for showmanship! I like to push the envelope as well as show pieces that can work in every woman’s wardrobe. There has to be a balance of the two in any collection.”

Still, Garo’s favorite challenges were the ones where he made the biggest statements. “My two favorite challenges would be the two I won! The Elton John challenge was really exciting because it was all about extravagance which is in my DNA.”

Personally, I found the art installation to be his most successful challenge. That idea encompasses his expression as fashion as art.

In a way, he agreed, too. Regarding that challenge, he appreciated that he “was creating an environment that my look could live in. It was great to follow what has always been my design philosophy of building a look with different pieces that can be mixed and matched. That’s why I made it a point to mention that each piece in the look could come off essentially creating a whole new atmosphere to the design and making it versatile to fit any occasion.”

Even though Garo has dressed many famous clients, he has one celebrity on his wish list. In a way, his choice is not an obvious one. He said, “Someone I’ve always wanted to dress is the stunning Nicole Kidman, she’s a timeless beauty who is not afraid to push the envelope in the classiest way possible.”

Now that Project Runway is over, Garo learned a lot about himself. He said, “The biggest lesson I learned is to always go with your first instinct because that’s always the right one in a high pressure environment. Otherwise you’re constantly second guessing yourself and wasting valuable time.”

Garo Sparo’s final statement about not wasting valuable time is a mantra that everyone can to employ. Life is too short and it is time to embrace your fabulous self.

What was your favorite Garo Sparo look from Project Runway season 17? Did he convince you that fashion is art?