Trends bloom, and trends die. But if there’s one thing that’s certain about fashion, it’s that it doesn’t stand still.

Such is the premise of Netflix’s first fashion competition series, aptly titled Next in Fashion, which dropped earlier this week. Bringing together talented designers from all across the globe (some of whom have already dressed the likes of Beyoncé ), 18 contestants battle it out to prove they have the ideas and talent to forge the industry’s future. For much of the show, they compete in pairs of two. Partnered either with someone they know or with a complete stranger, the teams work to blend their visions seamlessly while simultaneously making runway-worthy creations within the span of two days.



Adam Rose/Netflix

There are tears, tension, taffeta, and—most importantly—a grand prize of $250,000 and the chance to sell their collection through premiere global luxury e-retailer Net-a-Porter. To host and judge the show, Netflix corralled two industry powerhouses: fashion It girl Alexa Chung and designer and Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France.

Below, BAZAAR.com chats with France about his love for his fellow cohost, diversity in the industry, and what makes Next in Fashion unique. He also teases us with what we can expect to see in the fifth season of Queer Eye.

The stakes are high in Next in Fashion. Not only is there the possibility of winning $250,000, but the winner also gets the chance to have their designs sold on Net-a-Porter. What’s the significance of that opportunity for a newcomer?

When I was starting out, it took me almost two years to get onto a major retailer site. There's a sea of wonderful designers, a sea of wonderful brands. You need a point of difference. And that's what we offer our contestants, is a chance to skip that part and just go–if you win the show–straight onto that site with the collection, and that offers so many eyes on their brand. And, don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean it's a guarantee of success. Net-a-Porter has hundreds of hundreds if not thousands of designs on there, but just getting your foot in the door at Net-a-Porter is such a great accomplishment.

Yes, the $250,000 is wonderful. I actually think that's the smallest of all of the rewards. The biggest one is that they get to be on Net-a-Porter, which is invaluable. And the second thing, they get to be on a global platform like Netflix, and hopefully people will love the show so much, love the collection so much, that they will then go on Net-a-Porter to find that brand.

Lara Solanki/Netflix

All the contestants came from so many different backgrounds, whether personal or professional, and they really represented this global love for fashion. What was it like witnessing that kind of diversity over the course of the competition?

I was so happy to see that it wasn't just an American competition show. I think it makes for a much more interesting show to have it be global. Our audience on Netflix is global. It makes sense that we have people from the likes of India, South Korea, England. I'm hoping that that means that people from those territories really start to champion their designers from their countries or their continents.

I also loved that it is representative of what a workroom looks like. You'll notice on this show that they pair people together who may not have ever worked together. Maybe they come from a different land, or their aesthetic is different. That is how a design workroom is. If you're going to any reputable designer's workroom, it's wildly diverse, because through diversity comes different perspectives and hopefully the best design possible, because it's so nuanced. So, that's what I think is so special about our show, is that we give the real world insight to what it's like in a design room.

Was there anything that you saw come out of those partnerships that really surprised you?

I think at the start, I was surprised by the fact that it didn't matter whether people knew each other or not. Just because they knew each other doesn't mean that they were necessarily going to work better as a team. And you'll notice that one of the finalists, they got there and they never worked with their partner before. They never really met their partner before. It's really interesting to show that it doesn't matter who you're working with. You always have to collaborate in a workroom, whether you're working for a brand or even if you are the creative director of a company.

Lara Solanki/Netflix

There’s a moment about halfway through the season where the judges have a hard time agreeing on who to send home. One of the contestants speaks up about how difficult it is to possibly be sent home, especially as someone who is not typically represented or seen in the industry. What did that moment mean to you, especially as a fellow designer of color who also entered a predominantly white industry?

I sympathize and empathize with what they were saying, absolutely. I do feel like a person of color is working against so many factors to make sure that they are seen. However, in that episode in particular, it was difficult because, in my opinion, they did have the weakest design in the episode. But we couldn't all agree. I do think it's interesting or important to note that on that stage, the four of us [judges], none of us are white. Be it Jason Bolden, Kerby Jean-Raymond, Alexa Chung, and myself. Every one of us is a person of color. And so I think that's why it's important that we try to make them understand that this wasn't about color, it wasn't that we were sending somebody home based on the color of the designer. It purely was down to the design and the fact that it wasn't in line with the level of craftsmanship of the other contestants.

But what I will say is that everybody's work had been equally wonderful. I do love to believe that I am part of a show that would never base a decision on the race or background of the designer. We like to believe that we're a very diverse show.

A lot of high-profile judges appear throughout the season. Was there anyone you were particularly excited about working with?

We had some incredible powerhouses. We had Monique Lhuillier; Tommy Hilfiger; Christopher Kane, who's a British icon, like a British institution. We had the likes of Elizabeth Stewart and Eva Chen more regularly. Eva Chen kind of molds the way Instagram sees fashion, and Instagram does mold the fashion industry so greatly at this point.

I think the caliber of guests brings a level of credibility to the show that really sets us apart and hopefully includes the audience to see these opinions and our decisions at the end of each episode come from a place of absolute knowing and knowledge and are informed decisions. Because every one of us at that point within the judging panel is very well versed in what is going to work and what's not.

Adam Rose/Netflix

What was it like working with Alexa Chung?

It was really hard. Let me tell you why. [On Queer Eye], I'm on the show with four other boys, and we can get very close very quickly. Part of that is that we are all complete idiots, and we love to play all the time. That issue becomes really difficult when you're trying to film something and get your job done. And that I thought was only Queer Eye. Apparently, I'm the common factor, because it was exactly a problem on Next in Fashion. Alexa and I have the best time. But when we play so much that often, it would be very frustrating for people who are trying to do the show, like, "You gotta focus, we are trying to do a competition show."

It was a blast. It was like playing with your best friend who you didn't know was your best friend and you met them and you instantly fell in love. I call her my work wife. She calls me her work husband. We got so close so quickly, and considering the fact that we've never met—well, actually we met like half an hour, an hour maximum, at a party before—and then we started shooting the show together. That chemistry was instant. You can't fake that shit. You can't feign that shit. You either have it or you don't.

Adam Rose/Netflix

It’s surprising to me that you and Alexa didn't know each other extensively beforehand, because that friendship was so palpable. It made me want to be friends with you both while watching.

What I think is so special about Alexa is this: Yes, she's really buddy-buddy. Yeah, she's incredibly stylish. She's been a style icon for several years. But the reason why I so desperately wanted to work with her is because she felt like any other host in this sense. In America, I think a lot of male hosts get to be whoever they want. They get to be stocky and funny and kind of sarcastic, whereas the female hosts don't really get to be that. I tried to wrap my brain for the last two months, ever since we started filming Next in Fashion, thinking, Who are the female hosts who get to be that? They don't get to be that. They got to be twee and sweet and the all-American girl. And that's why it was so exciting working with Alexa, because Alexa's real. She's super chill, and she's gonna say whatever she wants to say, and sometimes it's not what you'd expect from these female hosts in the U.S. I think that's what makes her so special. You feel like you know her straightaway. You fall in love with her straightaway, because she is that girl you know.

What can we expect from Season 5 of Queer Eye?

All I can say is that it's fun and silly, it's already wrapped, and we always look to push diversity as much as possible and have people that we've not already had before. I think we've done that again in Season 5. I think it's a new show all of a sudden. I think you're gonna really enjoy it.

Stream Next in Fashion on Netflix

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Chelsey Sanchez Assistant Social Media Editor Chelsey Sanchez is the Assistant Social Media Editor for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers politics, social movements, and pop culture.

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