1 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
2 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
3 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
4 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
5 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
6 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
7 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
8 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
9 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
10 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
11 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
12 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
13 of 13
Photography by Craig Currie
On Thursday night, fashion model, entrepreneur, and St. Louis-native Karlie Kloss returned home with her Project Runway co-stars journalist Elaine Welteroth and fashion designers Christian Siriano and Brandon Maxwell for a private launch of the Bravo show’s 18th season at the recently opened The Last Hotel.
While a private event, those invitees included designers from the local fashion community, students from the design programs at Washington University, SIBA, North Technical High School (whose program is led by Project Runway contestant Shan Keith), among others.
The event included a Q&A panel moderated by Tania Beasley-Jolly, co-founder of MERCH and the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, followed by a screening of the first episode of Project Runway’s new season.
"It's so special to me to have my Project Runway family here in St. Louis," Kloss says. "It's such a big part of who I am—St. Louis, the community, my family's based here, and I launched my career here."
Before the festivities began, Kloss gave her colleagues a tour of St. Louis. After hopping off the plane, Kloss says the crew hopped into her mom's car and headed to meet her mom and see her family’s home. From there, Kloss showed her co-stars her childhood home, Webster Groves High School, The Clover and the Bee, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, and, of course, the Arch—"and got lost along the way," Kloss says. "We truly got lost," adds Maxwell. "Listen, I'm not that good of a driver," Kloss says, laughing.
1 of 5
Courtesy of Project Runway
2 of 5
Courtesy of Project Runway
3 of 5
Courtesy of Project Runway
4 of 5
Courtesy of Project Runway
5 of 5
Courtesy of Project Runway
"You have a whole second career as a tour guide," Welteroth quips. Welteroth was the only one of the three who had previously been to St. Louis. Though, she adds, that trip didn't compare to the Kloss tour. "Great Uber driver, five-star rating," Siriano adds.
"I feel like I was pulling on my fifth-grade history knowledge about like Lewis and Clark, being the Gateway to the West," Kloss says of teaching them about St. Louis. ("We listened to Nelly," Siriano adds.) "We did it all," Kloss says.
Kloss, now 27, was discovered at 13 by Mother Model Management scouts Jeff and Mary Clarke (who both attended the Thursday night premiere) when she walked in a St. Louis charity fashion show.
Photography by Craig Currie
"It's so surreal," Kloss says. "I just met a designer downstairs, Michael Drummond, who created and designed the dress that I wore in my first runway show at 13 years old."
The decision to launch the cast's second season together in St. Louis allows Kloss to "celebrate the fashion community here," she says. "There's no better place than right here, and I'm really glad to be able to bring the people I love to the place that I love."
The cast hopes to visit each of their hometowns to celebrate this season, but Maxwell says whether it will happen is a matter of coordinating all of their busy schedules. But, he says, the outreach is important to the mission of the show. "The thing that we love the most about the opportunity and the platform is to be able to help other young creatives or creatives that are just starting out and want that chance. I think that you find those in towns all over this country," Maxwell says. "I think that we hope to go everywhere and meet with schools and the students and the other great places like the Fashion Fund here."
Photography by Craig Currie
Susan Sherman giving Karlie Kloss, Elaine Welteroth, Brandon Maxwell, and Christian Siriano a tour of the Saint Louis Fashion Fund.
Of the Fund, where the team met current Fashion Lab designers, Kloss says, "it was awe-inspiring how impactful the Fund is on the St. Louis fashion community, really creating a hub, and bringing bigger opportunities to St. Louis, creating a space for fashion designers to flourish."
After a day of exploration and mingling with St. Louisans, the team, donning their gifted Blues jerseys (with their names on the back), retreated from the hotel lobby party to a Last Hotel room. All of this is along historic Washington Avenue—a stretch of which might one day be called Karlie Kloss Way, as stated in a recently proposed bill.
"Oh, my God, we have to put the bill through. Who do we call?" Maxwell says, after discovering this possibility.
"I don't know who I need to thank for writing that blurb," Kloss says, laughing. "I never imagined such a thing would ever happen, and I'm so grateful for that to even be in the realm of possibilities."
Watch Kloss’ video of her St. Louis tour below:
