Project Accessory, Lifetime’s Project Runway spin-off, crowned its first-ever winner last week. The day after the episode aired I got the opportunity to speak with the champion himself, Brian Burkhardt. We chatted about his love of resin, taking risks, and how sweet it is to be a winner. He was such a delight to speak to!
Photo Credit: Richard McLaren © 2011 Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC
Congratulations!
Thank you!
How does it feel to be the winner?
Amazing. What I design is not as commercial, but they really got me. Do you know what that feels like? It feels so amazing. It feels beautiful.
Let’s talk about the resin. While the other designers based their designs almost exclusively around leather or metal, you consistently worked with resin. What do you like about resin as a material?
I come from a fine art background. [My wife and I] are both sculptors and we approach jewelry from a sculptor’s perspective. For us it has always been about using varied materials. We were allowed to bring what was applicable to our fields – for me the resin is super lightweight, super durable, and fast curing.
Are there any materials you would have liked to work with on the show?
We have a new line coming out with exotic leathers, which is super exciting because it was a different material. With the final runway, I used more metal and leather because I do use a lot of resin. But being a sculptor, I love materials. I have used fingernails, hair. Everything is a material.
Photo Credit: Richard McLaren © 2011 Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC
Tell me more about the creative process. In the challenges how did you decide what you wanted to create?
Being on a show like this is overwhelming, it’s a pressure-cooker. For me to have restrictions kind of made it easier because it gave more of a focus. It was a matter of whether you were ok stepping out of your comfort zone. It’s not whether or not you can, you have to. That’s what i found was really exciting, and very different from an artisan and the way they work.
I’m curious about the insect piece. During the episode said you may have made a $100,000 mistake, but by the end you seemed to be able to justify it.
I had to make it work… I think i pulled it off. I poured the resin. I was heavy-handed. It wasn’t one of my favorite pieces, but i needed to get my head back in the game and keep going. In the real world I would have been like, I kind of like this idea, and my second one I would have resolved better. But at the time I thought, if I’m not ready to risk it all, why am I here?
What was your favorite piece that you created on the show?
Going back to limitations, I really love the shoe that I did. I never did a shoe before. It was unique and functional, and my model said it was comfortable! I didn’t know if I could do it, and I did it. That, to me, was the ultimate.
Photo via MyLifetime.com
If there was a celebrity you could design for, who would it be?
I love to design for people who have their own voice. I want someone who wants to take a risk, someone who is exciting, eclectic, confident. I love the absurdity of Nicki Minaj. I love people who are elegant but [whom] I can style with a bit of an edge. Or anyone who’s really interested in taking a risk and being confident. How I would encourage anyone to live is be yourself, and be confident in who you are. Accessories are a great way for you to express yourself. Take what you like from trends and apply it to your life.
I’m the Co-Founder of a fashion film festival, and some of the films we’re showing are ones that have inspired designers. Are there any films that have inspired you as a designer?
There’s a sci-fi film with amazing fashion – the 5th Element, you have to see it. Gaultier styled the costumes. The outfits are so futuristic and clean lined but slick, sexy and beautiful. There’s something about that I really love. What he’s done is exquisite.
Brian with his winning designs, photo via MyLifetime.com
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