Fremantle announced that the fashion format, Project Runway, will be locally produced in Thailand by JKN Best Life Co., to air exclusively on JKN18, a DTT channel wholly owned and operated by JKN Best Life Co.

Project Runway Thailand will be the fifth Asian edition of the popular franchise, having previously aired in the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam. The series is scheduled to premiere on JKN18 in Q1 2022, with producers now starting to cast judges and contestants for this local edition.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the Emmy-nominated fashion reality series pits aspiring fashion designers against each other, sees talented young fashion designers and their models battle for catwalk stardom, with the chance to showcase their creations to the world. To earn this honour, the designers must compete in a series of demanding challenges that test resourcefulness and creativity – to determine who has what it takes to succeed in the world of fashion. A panel judges their creations, and each week one of the stylists is eliminated. The finalists get the chance to prepare a complete fashion collection to show during the final catwalk.

This exciting, glamorous reality series is a long-running rating hit in the US, and produced in 28 territories, most recently in New Zealand, Greece, and Ukraine.

The Thai edition of the show will feature award-winning fashion designer and professor Tawn Chatchavalvong “Tawn_C” (Thai Tim Gunn) on the jury, alongside Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip “Anne” making her debut as the first transgender host on Project Runway.

At the age of only 42, Thai billionaire Anne is the CEO of the JKN empire. Trailblazing the industry in Thailand, Anne is a celebrity with her highly rated talk shows and has amassed more than 12 million followers on Facebook and 4 million on Instagram. In 2021, she was named Person of the Year by Thailand Zocial Awards for her most effective use of social media and rapid escalation of her social influence in the digital sphere.

“Long and widely conceded by our Asian peers, Thai fashion design is cosmopolitan, innovative, yet uniquely Thai. Distinctive for its vibrant creativity, exuberant eclecticism, and even wit and trendsetting style, Thai fashion enduringly embodies the spirit of Thailand. Project Runway Thailand is destined to be the platform to showcase and nurture budding talents to a wider audience and beyond,” remarked Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Media Plc.

Haryaty Rahman, SVP Distribution Asia, at Fremantle, comments, “We are proud to partner with JKN Global Media and JKN18 to bring Project Runway to the Thai audience for the first time. The high stakes drama of the fashion competition coupled with the offering of a diverse and inclusive judging panel will make this must-see television across the country and a forerunner for the format internationally.”

Fremantle will handle global distribution for the Project Runway format and finished tape. Project Runway is produced by Spyglass Media and Alfred Street Industries for Bravo.