Launch My Line just started recently on Bravo TV.This reality show pairs contestants with an established designer to launch their own clothing line. Windy City Times spoke with Dan Caten, one of the twin hosts ( along with brother Dean ) and two of the judges, Stefani Greenfield and Lisa Kline.
Windy City Times: Hey, everyone. Tell me about the new show.
Dan Caten: The show is a fashion competition show. I mean we have a lot of people that are professionals in their business and they have this passion for fashion. They want become designers. So each week they get a challenge. They have to do a show and then we're going to critique them and we're going to kill someone every week.
Stefani Greenfield: You know what's so exciting about this show is that it's not about one hit wonders. It's really about the whole equal, the sum of its parts. So they have to start with a vision of what they want their brand to be. And as it evolves week after week you know the whole has to equal the sum of its parts so in the end it has to represent who they are going to be as a designer, what their vision is going to be about.
And they are teamed up with a stranger, and at the end it's all about immediate partnerships working for a collective meaning.
WCT: How was the Lady Gaga episode?
Lisa Kline: With Lady Gaga, that's one of their challenges to instantly be inspired by someone who is a really creative person and kind of wild. So immediately they have to be on the spot; figure out what they're going to do and what kind of fabric they need to incorporate in the line; and keep the brand cohesive, which is always really hard to do. They don't know what to expect. She's a character so that was a fun one for them.
DC: And I think also when you get somebody like that into this show, it's exciting for them also because sometimes when you have to do think or maybe for a star or you know you're doing your line but then someone throws you a curveball and says okay, but your line I want you to do something for me in your line.
I want you to do something with this in your line and that's you know an actual thing that happens to designers, especially when you're designing for famous people or people that have a point of view, or that you know end up having an opinion.
And then you have to adapt your style to accommodate their want, but then still become you at the end. So that was a very like trick and a challenge for them that could be difficult.
LISA KLINE: She is so inspiring and so you know outlandish and so out there and funky. So I think for the people designing it was kind of exciting. It kind of got their creative juices flowing.
SG: And with all the stress, that's what makes it exciting for them, these are their moments in time, whether they win or they lose. They were in design room with Gaga, hello? You know?
WCT: It seemed like there was a lot of drama with contestants fighting on the show.
DC: Everybody's kind of different and that the mixing of the people is kind of cool because somehow in the beginning they seem like they might get along. Then I think as people start to work with each other naturally characters come out. So there's a bit of clashing.
SG: You have to understand, you know people look at conflict as a negative, but there's also a positive spin on agreeing to disagree and how negative could become positive. I think whenever you pair two people randomly you get greatness whether it's good or bad. You'll see a lot of good from conflict too.
LISA KLINE: I agree. I think one of the highlights of the show was always the different dramas that came up because different things would happen—like people were fine and then they weren't fine. And people that weren't fine became like in love with each other and so you watch these relationships develop and love and hate came out of it and like Stephanie said there was—that was always interesting to see because I think that was always a part of all the episodes was the drama between the different people as the pressure went on. As they were trying to win and design and there was just a lot of challenges that happened for them. So you know in the time constraint and ... there was drama, but that's what makes the show exciting too and complicated.
DC: Please watch the show because it's going to be really killer. Watch it.
"Watch what happens" on Wednesdays. Check www.BravoTV.com for listings.
