02x03 - Thrift

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

Our designers are about to delve
into the unknown

and conquer a challenge
that's snobbery-free.

-Ugh, I know it's in here. Where are you?
-Tanny, what are you doing?

-I'm searching for today's challenge.
-Can I help?

[gasps, groans] Here we are. Grab this.

-[Gigi] Okay.
-Grab this. Grab this. And pull it!

-[dramatic music intensifies, then stops]
-[pants]

So what's the challenge?

Oh, for goodness' sake. I give up.

I didn't even get
to read the first part. Tanny!

[Tan groaning]

G, does this look like
I'm wearing something that Nigel made?

-Nigel's gonna love that.
-[laughs] I really hope he's proud of me.

-Am I wearing too many prints?
-No. Love.

♪ Oops! I'm coming and causing... ♪

-[Gigi] Good morning, designers!
-[Tan] Hi, guys!

-[designer] Good morning!
-Good morning!

-Morning.
-[designer 2] Hi!

-Woo! You're all looking fab!
-[Gigi laughs]

Woo! Welcome back, everyone.
You ready for action?

[designers] Yeah!

Well, the good news is
that we have another fun,

fashion-forward challenge just for you.

-[Desyrée chuckles]
-Okay.

And the bad news is...

[mischievous music plays]

-Actually, there ain't no bad news today...
-[all cheer and laugh]

-...because Next in Fashion![laughs]
-[laughs]

-[Tan] You little joker!
-[laughs]

Your next challenge

is all about the hottest,
most essential, and impactful trend

in the fashion world right now.

-Oh?
-What is it?

Recycled fashion.

-[all] Ooh.
-[Tan] Isn't that good?

[all] Yes!

We are talking about
designing completely new looks

using thrifted, pre-loved,
and preexisting garments.

-[Qaysean] Mmm.
-Hell yeah.

Our prize partners Rent the Runway
have pioneered a twist in thrift

by renting high-end designer clothes

and have made renting a smarter
and more sustainable choice,

and they will be awarding $200,000
to the winner ofNext in Fashion.

[Megan] Ooh, yay!

-Nige! Can I call you Nige?
-Yo. Call me whatever you want.

-[Tan] Thank you.
-[all laugh]

-Are you excited about this one?
-Very excited.

-[Tan] Tell me why.
-[Nigel] That's how I got into fashion.

I didn't have clothes, you know, or money

to, you know, buy things
back when I was younger.

When I was growing up, things got
a little expensive for my mother.

She was a single mother.

And I literally had no money
to have dope clothes or feel different,

so I went to thrift stores,

and I would rework,
all these different things.

And that's literally why I'm here today.
I... I gotta win this.

["Legendary" by MSCMKRS playing]

♪ I was born for the glory... ♪

We are looking for designs
that fully repurpose existing garments.

Treat the clothes
as if they are your fabric

for this challenge.

And speaking of raw materials
and old, abandoned clothes,

your entire runway looks
will have to be constructed

using only materials
from that mountain of memories behind you.

-[designer] What?
-[designer 2] Yeah!

-[designers] Ooh.
-[designer 3] Whoa. My God.

Of course, ifyou need
a little something extra

to help you design your look,
the Next in Fashioncloset is...

[suspenseful music plays]

...not avail.

-[designers laughing]
-[Godoy groans]

-Not at all.
-Love you!

-[designer 3] Wowza. Okay.
-[designer 4 laughs]

You will each be responsible
for making just one entire look.

And, of course,
helping us judge your designs,

our very special guest judge,

one of the most influential stars
of her generation,

a fashion force, an entrepreneur,

and an influencer
to millions and millions around the world,

we will be joined
by the trendsetting superstar

Emma Chamberlain.

-[Megan] Wow!
-[designers cheer]

-[Tan] She's a good one. Really good.
-[Gigi] She is. She's fun times.

[Gigi] The upcycled look
that impresses us the most

will be the thrifting challenge winner,

but unfortunately, as usual,

we will have to say goodbye
to at least one of you.

-[tense music plays]
-Uh, remember when I said, "No bad news"?

-No!
-Oh no.

I forgot to tell them
about the small time detail.

-Oh?
-Oh Lord.

[Gigi] The runway show

will be in four hours.

-[designer] What?
-Oh my God.

-[designer 2] Oh my God.
-[laughing]

-[blows raspberry] Four hours?
-We have four hours.

Four!

I have never sewn,
maybe not even patterned,

anything in four hours of my life.
[laughs]

This is about to be a crapshoot for me.
[laughs]

[designers] What?

Four hours to finish a look.

Who does that? [laughs nervously]

[tense music continues]

[Tan] Sustainable fashion
is pushing the industry forward,

and so we are pushing you
to create an amazing upcycled look

in just, yes, one day.

When I say "go,"

raid that heap.

-[laughs]
-Get ready. Your time... starts...

now.

-[designers screaming]
-[exciting music playing]

-[designer] Yup.
-[Tan] Oh no! [laughs]

Look at 'em go! [laughs]

[Deontré] Digging through this pile
of clothes,

I gotta make sure
I pick out the right stuff...

Oh my God!

...because I'm so used to seeing,
like, just the fabric and textiles

and creating things from scratch.

Is there any lace in here?

But to take apart something
and recreate it

and still make it my own style,

it's just, like, very difficult.

I'm just like,
"Let's make sense of this mess

and turn it into gold."

[rap music playing]

I can definitely smell thrift store!
[laughs]

[Deontré laughs]

I see something
that looks like Chanel over here, Amari.

[Amari] Where, girl?

[Deontré] Buttons are cute, b*tch.

Oh my gosh, Qaysean,
you got the wedding dress!

Smart!

I'm grabbing a wedding dress
because I just saw something big.

Hell yeah.

I gotta figure out what I'm gonna create
out of what I have my hand right now.

-[Tan] Making wise choices.
-[designer] Oh, can I get this?

The material that I'm seeing the most
in this pile is denim.

-[chime tone plays]
-Bloop. Light bulb.

Think I have a clear vision now.

I am from LA. We are the denim capital.

So I'm gonna go with denim.
We have to make a denim look.

[pop music playing]
♪ Go and get what you want... ♪

[Nigel] Oh, this is nice.

["Bets on Me" by Raphael Lake playing]

I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Ooh, this is fire. What?

I'm literally, like, trying to grab
anything that just speaks to me.

-Jeans.
-Nigel, of course you're grabbing denim.

[Nigel laughs]

I see this ombré blue bubble coat.

Random pop of yellow came out of nowhere.
It was another bubble coat.

Ooh, the jersey too?!

Oh yeah.

Bubble jackets, denim, jersey.
Boom, we're there.

♪ Gotta stand out from the rest
Gotta separate the man from the boys ♪

♪ And the good from the best... ♪

Oh, I like this.

-You guys, look, I'm a pony!
-[Qaysean] Oh my God.

My gosh, we could walk a runway
with these things.

[Nigel] I could do a vibe with that,
but I'mma go a different route.

[Nigel and Tan laugh]

All right, yeah. You made it work.
You made it work. [laughs]

-[laughs]
-[Amari] Where is the good stuff?

Making repurposed garments
is not my thing.

Today is just not my day.

I like to go pick out my fabrics
and then make a garment.

I have no clue what I'm gonna do
with these clothes.

[chuckling] You guys, no one wanted
this toilet-seat pad.

-[Tan laughs]
-[Gigi] Okay, we're going.

-Have fun!
-[Tan] All right, good luck, everyone.

[lively music playing]

This, I have a lot of,

so I'm thinking maybe I could make
some sort of, like, kilt sort of situation

with, like, a bow.

-Hey, Des, what are you feeling?
-So I kinda went with more earthy tones.

I'm trying to bring something

like, "Damn, that's fly.
I would wanna wear that."

G, what are we looking for?

Today is only four hours,

so I'm not expecting
a huge couture moment.

Me either.

I want something that is wearable
and new and fresh.

I want a kinda edgy,
gender-bender type of feel,

but I wanna create, like, you know,
this dramatic denim look at the bottom.

-[Megan] Nice.
-[Tan] The stakes are high.

There's not much time.
They're not working with bolts of fabric.

-They're using limited pieces.
-[Gigi] Totally.

You can't get crazy creative,
thinking, "I'm gonna reinvent the wheel."

[Nigel] I'm working on the jacket first.
Love jerseys.

I feel like that's my flex,
so bringing it all together right now.

[chuckling] G, they're literally
about to build the runway.

We've not got much time. No, no.
Only four hours. Let's get ready.

Do you guys need help?

[Tan] I'm not helping. She'll help.
I don't do manual labor, sorry!

We only have four hours,
and I really need to get busy.

Yeah.

[pop music playing]

[Megan] I've been working
at vintage and thrift stores

since I was, like, 15 years old,

so I've always loved to use,
like, vintage bedsheets and florals

and things like that.

So this is kind of right up my alley.

-I want to go, like, golfer chic.
-[Eliana] Okay.

I pulled a ton of plaids,
I pulled some old grandma quilts,

and I pulled
some, like, super preppy knits.

[Eliana] Cool, cool, cool.

I really wanted to take the concept
of finding all these vintage fabrics

and incorporate it into my cutouts.

Ooh, okay.

So my concept today
is this romantic, vintage vibe

with modern body-con cutouts,

and then the little pop
that I really wanted was the bralette.

You know, in many ways, this challenge
is taking me back to my roots

and just how I really,
really started as a child.

I'm the youngest of nine kids,
born in Saigon, Vietnam,

and coming to America as a refugee family.
you know, we grew up poor.

We didn't have the money
to buy brand-new clothing.

It was all about finding garments

that you had to, like, you know,
alterate and make better.

Growing up poor,

sometimes,
it's what unleashes your creativity.

We don't have that much time.
Gotta get something sewn at this point.

[voice over PA] Designers,
you have three hours remaining.

This challenge is so fun
because I always go to the thrift store.

I'm always cutting up stuff.

It's like a time capsule of fashion,

so whenever I go to the thrift store,
I always find something that no one has.

-Qaysean. Hello, my love.
-[Qaysean] Hello.

-How are you?
-What are you doing?

My inspiration is, like, the '80s era.

So I'm going with a black velvet dress,

and then for the shocking pink,
I wanna have off-the-shoulder drapery.

I definitely want my girl
to exude "rich b*tch" kind of a vibe.

[Tan] Okay, love that.

As much as your influence is '80s,
which I love the '80s,

the fashion was dynamite,
are we gonna see Qaysean or just '80s?

No, you're gonna see me in it
because I am definitely risqué. [chuckles]

[Tan] I saw you pull the wedding dress.
What happened with that?

-[Qaysean] I didn't get inspired by it.
-[Tan] So you feel this is right?

-You didn't make a mistake giving her up.
-I didn't.

Okay, I'm gonna leave you with it.
Good luck.

Thank you so much.

My thing's gonna incorporate
five different denims.

[Gigi] Godoy, what you cookin' up?

All right, I got all this denim,

mainly because you wouldn't expect this
from me.

So I'm creating a two-piece set.

A very well-tailored bra top
with a draped skirt.

-I cut all the waistbands off.
-[Gigi] Love.

And I'm making these straps
and harnesses out of it.

[Gigi] That is sick.

And I'm taking it back to Inglewood.
Like, that's where I grew up.

-Yeah? How awesome!
-Yep. Damn! [chuckles]

-I'm so emotional today.
-[Gigi] Why are you feeling emotional?

I don't know.

Do you feel like
these materials made you feel

like you were facing something
that you hadn't before in your design?

Yeah, absolutely.

I guess I've never really, like,
looked back where I really come from.

Yeah.

My whole life, I've tried to run away

from the narrative
that inner-city kids, people like me,

don't get opportunities as easy as others,

which means we have to fight
three, four, five, a million times harder

than a lot of other people.

I constantly think back,

and even being here,
like, I wouldn't be here without my family

and all their sacrifices,

so, like, this,
bringing it back home for me, is key.

Don't shy away
from the tears and the emotion.

Like, feel it and put it into this,

and I think
that it will make it really special.

-I'll put it into this.
-Exactly.

Just put it in,
and then just literally sew it in.

-[Godoy] Thank you so much.
-Love you. Enjoy it.

-[Godoy] Thank you.
-Feel it! Feel all the things!

[voice over PA] Designers,
two hours remaining.

[rock music playing]
♪ Stayin' up all night ♪

♪ We on the grind... ♪

That doesn't fit.

Gotta hurry.

I need more time.

-[Qaysean] Me too.
-[Amari] It ain't working!

-[Desyrée] How you doing, Bao?
-[Bao] Super time stressful right now.

[Desyrée] Oh boy.

♪ It's gonna be all right
It's gonna be mine... ♪

[Tan] Our little Nige.

-[Nigel] Yo. What's up, Tan?
-Hi, kiddo. Tell me how you're feeling.

Um, I'm feeling good.
I got a good flow right now.

I have my concept ready.

It's a football theme
'cause I used to play football,

and I gave up my scholarships
to go to fashion school.

[Tan] Really? Tell me about it.

I realized, like, after, you know,
playing football for years,

I was more into how I dressed.

So you are the obvious one
for this challenge

because you do this.

It adds a lot of pressure.
I have to show up.

I have to give you something
you haven't seen from me.

So I wanna create a dope
jersey-inspired bubble jacket

mixing two different color bubble jackets,

and then I'll bring all these materials
into my pants too.

[Tan] Let's see it.

Basically, I took the base,

and I made 'em bigger
'cause they were female jeans,

and then I'm gonna add,
like, elements of this.

-To tie in the top.
-[Nigel] Yeah.

[Tan] Oh, nice.

I like the idea very much.
It's down to the execution.

Cheers, buddy.
Thank you so much. Good luck.

♪ You know I'm a star, yeah... ♪

[pop music playing]

If Nigel and I
had a fashion baby together,

this would be it.

[laughing]

-Nigel, wanna have a baby together?
-Whoa.

-I mean "fashion baby together?" [laughs]
-[laughs]

Oh man.

-Hey, Eliana, girl. How you doing?
-Hey. [chuckles]

-You popped up out of nowhere. Hello.
-Surprise! I just live under the table.

[laughs]

-How you feeling?
-I'm all right.

-I've never actually done any reworking.
-No?!

-[laughs]
-Anyway, well, here we are.

Yup, here we are.

So I grabbed, like, printed fabrics.
I thought, like, those are very my vibe.

Oh, I'm gonna need this
if you don't use it.

-I'm gonna use it.
-For the headpiece?

I think I'm gonna cut the hair off
and make her into this thrifting troll

and make a paneled shirt
with multiple prints

and maybe use denim to try to create,
like, some drama on the shoulders.

I love that. I wanna make sure
we don't go costume. Full troll.

I don't know. I need to see it on her,
but, like, I might just do the hair.

Okay. Keep playing. You haven't got long.

[upbeat music playing]

[fake crying]

-[tense tone plays]
-[Qaysean sighs]

-[Amari] Qay, you okay?
-[Qaysean] No.

-[Amari] No? What's wrong?
-[Qaysean] I hate it.

Honestly, looking at my garment,
I'm really not happy with it.

The vibes are not there.

I am pressed for time,
but there's so much on the line right now,

and I have to just do what I have to do,

so I'm just gonna scrap the entire dress,
and I'mma create something new.

[singsong] ♪ Back to the wedding dress ♪

I have fabric from this wedding dress.

I could take the lace off this
and create, like, a nice lacy pant.

I'm gonna create
some really long wide-leg pants

with a nice revealing hip cutout

and then on top, the mesh.

I am a little nervous, but I really need
to impress the judges today.

There's no other way.

Oh my gosh, Qay.

[dramatic music playing]

My hands are shaking. [chuckles]

[James] Goodness gracious!
I've made so many mistakes.

-Confusing with all the fabrics.
-[Eliana] You're trying to go so fast.

[James] So fast.

-sh*t!
-You have to make the mistake part of it.

[Desyrée] Yes.

[laughs] This used to be,
uh, some sort of a blouse.

Working with upcycled clothing is not
what I do in my normal business and brand,

and so it's all these obstacles
that I'm facing,

you know, like I'm using a sweater knit
which stretches a lot,

but then using a crochet,
which has almost no stretch.

So everything is just operating
on a totally different speed,

but yet in a garment,

they all have to perform
the exact same symphony.

It has to flow right, fit right,

and I'm doing it on the fly, so yeah.

-[lively music playing]
-[sewing machine whirring]

-[playfully] What's goin' on?
-I don't really do repurposed garments.

-[Tan] Okay.
-I usually start from scratch.

Cutting things up has never been my forte.

[Tan] What areyou doing?

[Amari] So right now,
I'm using this windbreaker

to make a draped skirt,

and I'm deconstructing
this Sporty Spice jogger

and turning it into a corset.

So tell me how it's you.

This part is so me

'cause I feel like it accentuates
just the focal point that I want.

You love a boob moment.

-I love a boob moment!
-Yeah.

I love a boob moment

just because I don't really got much,
but, like, if I did, they would be out.

[Tan] Okay.

[Amari] But the skirt needs some zhuzhing

'cause she's looking
very, you know, matron-like.

-We don't want that vibe.
-You said it, not me.

-[gasps]
-Right now, I don't see you that much yet.

Just really think, "Who is Amari?"

I'm already uncomfortable
with this challenge,

and now I have to switch my ideas.

I'm trying to think how would I wear it.

I'd wear this top
not with a matching bottom.

I would wear it with a denim skirt.

-[Qaysean] So start there. There you go.
-Yeah. Great.

Denim skirt.

Oh, that's cute!

Perfect.

So now I'm going to patchwork a super mini

and make it look edgy, sexy, and cute.

I want it to look sporty.

-Fire.
-[Amari] But I need some slutty bottoms.

[laughs]

♪ The fashion... ♪

[Eliana] This is so not like me,
what I'm doing right now.

I'm, like, a flat-pattern queen.

This, like, drape and sewing thing
is not my vibe.

I've never draped like this.

I just get a full piece of fabric,
I make a pattern, I cut it that way.

I don't just fly by the seat of my pants.
That's just not me. [laughs]

It's all pinned, so then I can
just hopefully rapid-fire sew it.

I'm a quick sewer
when I know what's happening.

I need to know what's happening,
or I'm gonna go slow. [laughs]

But I'm gonna give it my all.
I'm believing in my design. [laughs]

So I'm just crossing my fingers

and hoping that I can make it happen.
[laughs]

-[pop music playing]
-[sewing machines whirring]

What I'm working on,
I'm doing a menswear look,

and I wanna just go for more
like edgy, gender-bender type of feel.

I'm using all the jeans
that I found in that pile of mess

and a hoodie to pull off my look.

I wanna make a hoodie corset,

and I wanna do this layered skirt

and make it a bridge
between masculine and feminine.

I want a man or a woman to say,
"I want that look."

Let's see how that would look.

[voice over PA] Designers,
you have one hour remaining.

Please head backstage to meet your models.
Thank you.

["Plan" by MSCMKRS playing]
♪ Yo, I'm livin' the dream ♪

♪ I'm a walking movie edit
I'm livin' the scene... ♪

[Amari] Ugh, I need more time.

Never been more stressed!

-[electronic music playing]
-[James] It's a four-hour challenge.

I didn't sleep four hours
the night before,

so I'm going on, like, less sleep
than I have for the challenge.

It's absolute chaos.

-Where's the models?
-I'm sweating.

[sighs] I have an hour. This is crazy.

I am going through it in the inside.

I am looking around.

Everybody has full garments.
Their garments look really good.

[chuckles nervously] I'm very stressed

because I'm really just trying
to prove to the judges

that I do deserve to be here.

But I know me, and I know what I can do,

and I can do anything I put my mind to.

We got this. We got this.

[in high pitch] Oh! Oh my God!

I'm sweating through cashmere.

[Amari] I legit wanna cry!

It's an hour to the runway show,
and I'm stressed and pressed.

I can't believe
I have to make this on you.

I need it to look like a full-on look,

that it was thought out
and that I actually like it.

They said to make it look like me.

I am running out of time.

This is the craziest challenge ever.

Just a little glimpse.

-[Gigi] We're just browsing.
-[Tan] Interesting.

We're just Anna Wintouring, love.

We just smile and nod.

[Amari yelling]

[Desyrée]
These are not the best running shoes.

I know.
I'm about to slip and bust my neck.

[Deontré] Just gotta go ahead
and put the numbers on the front,

and I'll be done with the jacket.

My pants are 75% done.

I feel good.

-My confidence is at a ten.
-[Eliana] Oh my God. Holy cow.

Time is winding down,
and I'm sewing my a*s off.

I know that I'm inexperienced.
I just have to keep rolling with it.

I'm hoping and praying
that I can get it done.

No! My bobbin thread.

[Deontré] This is so tedious.

Denim is definitely a tricky fabric
to work with.

It's already a thick material,

and the machine is not complying
with all this denim

because I'm trying to layer it so much.

So it's becoming a struggle
to complete it.

I'm doing new things
and taking risks and stuff like that,

and I think that's
what fashion's all about, taking risks.

[voice over PA] Designers,
you have 30 minutes until the runway show.

-[Deontré] Oh my God.
-Yo, I'm weak in the knees right now.

-Pedal to the metal at this point.
-Tell me... Does it go up?

[groans] Forget it.

I'm changing careers.

[Nigel] I feel good.
I'm proud of my jacket.

Like, I think this is gonna read
really well on the runway.

I looked around the room.
A lot of people are using denim.

So I know that if you use sandpaper
to distress the denim,

it's gonna customize it to my...
To my wanting.

[Amari exhales sharply, then laughs]

Woo! Oh my God!

-[crowd cheering]
-Hi!

Good evening, everyone,
and welcome to Next in Fashion.

The theme for tonight's show
is sustainable fashion.

[crowd applauds]

[voice over PA]
Five minutes until the runway.

All the looks you're about to see
are made entirely of preexisting garments.

[Qaysean] That's supposed to go like that.

-You feel good?
-Yeah, yeah.

Oh God. I love it.

[voice over PA] Two minutes
to the runway show. Two minutes.

As always, Gigi and I
will not be judging this challenge alone.

We have some wonderful guest judges
joining us tonight.

Once again, we are honored to welcome
stylist to the stars, Jason Bolden.

-[crowd applauds and cheers]
-[Tan] Hi, Jay!

We are also so very lucky to be joined

by one of the most influential forces
of the current thrift-centric generation

and all around mega superstar,

Emma Chamberlain.

-[crowd whooping, applauding and cheering]
-[exciting music playing]

[Tan laughs]

Hello!

-Hi, beauty!
-Hi!

[voice over PA] Designers,
you have one minute remaining.

Moment of truth.
Let's see if this fit right.

I have no idea
why things come down to the last second.

Emma, I wanna know what you're looking for
when it comes to these thrifted designs.

I'm looking for something
that, like, I've never seen before.

-Same.
-Something that is so random...

-Same.
-[Emma] ...so special...

-Same.
-...and so, like, rare, almost.

Same!

-Let's start the show.
-Yeah.

[Eliana] That was the longest four hours
of my life, and also the shortest.

-[stage manager] Okay, guys, standing by.
-[suspenseful music playing]

[James] Four hours, you guys.

[Eliana] Four hours.

[mysterious music playing]

[stage manager] Music is rolling.

Standing by. We are ready.

One, two, three, and go.

[upbeat electronic music playing]

-Oh, I love.
-I love it.

-[designer] That's so you.
-[James] So you, dude. Congrats.

[Tan] There's so much detail.

-[Emma] Is that a vest on the pants?
-[Tan] Sure is.

That's so inventive. It looks intentional.

-[Tan] Yeah.
-[Jason] Yeah.

And the detail with the puffer jacket
on the inside of the leg

is just... it's really cool.

There's no way that this is all upcycle.

[judges] Ooh.

-[designers cheer]
-[designer 1] Wow!

-[Emma] The colors are so good.
-[Tan] Yeah. Beautiful.

Reads a little crafty to me, the shirt.

It's definitely crafty. It's definitely
"Let me just add everything onto it."

I would start taking things away,
like the pocket, the doily on the side.

It's a bit distracting.

-Oh!
-Wow.

[designers cheering]

[Jason] That shape and that silhouette
is perfection.

And I love how parts of it are attached,

like that button on the front
is holding up that strap.

-[Emma] I wish the cutouts were, like...
-[Gigi] Fitted.

More fitted, I think,

because I think
that it would just look cleaner.

Actually really cool.

[designers cheering]

[Emma, Tan] Oh, I love it.

I wish the bra was in a different color.

I love that it's a different color!

[Jason] The technique is insane

'cause it seems like
they just flipped a sweater upside down.

-[Tan] Yeah, they did.
-That's amazing!

This is gorgeous. It doesn't look
like it came from thrifted material.

I can't really figure out what's what,
and that's magical.

[stage manager] In three, two, one, walk.

[triumphant music playing]

-Top-notch.
-[laughs]

[designer] Wow.

There's so much going on.
The fit's really odd.

The front of the skirt,
it just doesn't have a clear shape.

-[Tan] No.
-[Gigi] I love the skirt.

I like that it's off-center.
I think it's funky,

but with everything else,
it looks twisted for the wrong reason.

Yeah, that's it.

[upbeat electronic music playing]

-[designers] Ooh.
-Come on, Qay.

Up until about an hour ago,
he had a black velvet dress.

-This was not his outfit.
-Oh my God, you're right.

I'm disappointed
because the idea is there.

The detail at the bottom
of the pant is sensational.

[Gigi] The shape of the top is great.

But what is that peplum?

And then why is there this belt flying?
This seems rushed, and it seems unsure.

[stage manager] ...one, and go.

-[designers] Yeah!
-Come on, Des.

-[Jason] Love.
-[Emma] I'm obsessed.

-[Tan] Love.
-It's knit. It's corduroy. It's denim.

There's also, like,
a little, like, chino up top.

-I would wear this.
-[Tan] Yeah.

[Nigel] All right, Amari.

[Emma] This is really good.

[Gigi] I'm obsessed with the skirt.
I'm obsessed with the top.

I also think that this feels more finished
than a lot of the other looks.

And those rough edges
look very intentional, which I love.

-[designers] Come on, James!
-Yeah!

I love the sleeve with it.
I love that he used ribbing on the cuff.

[Jason] The silhouette
is classic, beautiful James.

[stage manager] Last model out.

-I'm nervous. [chuckles]
-[designers] Nice work!

-[Tan] I've been so excited to see this.
-[Gigi] Deontré. Oh my, he slayed, mama!

[Gigi] Deontré brought streetwear,
but look at him. Like, this...

I can't even listen to you. I wanna drag
that off his body and wear it myself.

He does menswear, and this, to me,
feels like anyone could wear it.

It's finished. It's one of a kind.

I just think it's very special.

[Jason] Insane.

I can't believe
this was made in four hours.

My jaw's on the floor. I love it.

[stage manager] And go, finale.

[crowd applauding, cheering and whistling]

All right, all right, all right.

[Nigel] Yo!

[all cheering and celebrating]

-We k*lled it!
-[screaming] Yeah!

Whoo!

["I Feel It" by Raphael Lake playing]

♪ I feel it right now... ♪

-[judges laughing]
-[Jason] Here we go.

-Hey, what's up?
-[Gigi] Hey, Nigel!

-Hi, Nigel.
-Oh my God, it's Nigel.

[upbeat music playing]

Can you please tell us
about the different garments

that you used to create this?

When I first walked in,
I noticed this ombré bubble coat,

and I was like,
"This is the base right here,"

and then I definitely wanted to add denim
'cause that's all my aesthetic.

I seen the yellow out of nowhere.
It popped in my eyes.

I was like, "I gotta throw that in there,"
then I seen the jersey

and was like,
"This would be perfect as a statement."

I love everything about this.

I mean,
there's so much attention to detail.

The vest, it seems, that's on the pants,
like, that vest is amazing.

The yellow detail
on the inside of the pants is so good.

I mean, it's insane.

-It's so, so creative.
-Oh my God. Gorge.

-I want you to make all my clothes.
-[all laugh]

-I got you.
-[Emma] So cool.

Your craftsmanship is spot on.

-The proportion of the jacket.
-[Nigel] Yeah.

[Jason] The fact that you decided
to do, like, a crop puffer.

You have a magical hand when it comes
to building this type of character.

-You k*lled it.
-[Gigi] This, I knew, was your challenge.

But in four hours,

to be able to do something
that feels so finished,

and it could be sold a thousand times
and put in a store, like, it's done,

and that is so impressive.

It's, like, just awesome.

-Thanks, everybody.
-[judges] Thank you.

Have a good one.

I love hisoutfit.

[Tan] He's fantastic.

[Gigi] Every day,
I want what he's wearing.

[Emma] I know.

[Tan] Hello, Qaysean.

-Hello.
-Hi.

[rock music playing]

What were the items
that you had to use for this challenge?

[Qaysean] For the lace pants,
there was a wedding gown.

This piece right here was from a pillow,
and this was, like, a sweater.

How do you think it went?

[sighs] It was, honestly,
it was challenging

because my original design
was totally different.

-Totally.
-[Qaysean] I went for the '80s vibes.

But I was just thinking,
like, "How can I find me in it?"

And I had, like, an hour left,

so I just grabbed the wedding dress,
and I created this.

[Gigi] I like the lace on the bottom.

The shape of the top is great,

but the lines especially are confusing

because I can tell
that stripe on the middle,

I think you intentionally put crookedly,

but then the seam of the pant
isn't straight.

[Qaysean] Yeah.

The closer that it got to me,
it became obvious that you rushed it.

I agree. Trying to use the pattern weight
and trying to move quickly.

So sometimes things shift.

I be trying to get, like, the perfect...

-[clicks tongue, exhales]
-[emotional music plays]

[judges] It's okay.

[sniffles]

I know I'm amazing at what I do.

Um, sometimes I have hiccups, you know,
but I... I never stop,

just 'cause I wanna be perfect
'cause I feel like I have to.

No one's perfect.
You don't have to be anything but you.

-I try.
-Absolutely, epically you.

Right.

[Tan] When you started working
on that '80s dress,

you could've continued down it
and made it you.

Show us you.

Qaysean, thank you so much, my love.

I'm just a little disappointed
in myself right now

'cause I know what I can do,

and I just feel like I didn't execute
in a way that I wanted to.

-[Nigel speaks indistinctly]
-[exhales] Man.

Don't worry about it, bro.

-I love what I do.
-I think you did a great job.

[lively music playing]

So I used a button-down shirt,

probably four, five, six pairs of jeans,

and then I also used
that, like, troll mascot head

that you saw on the table. [chuckles]

I cut off some hair,
and we had it applied up there. [laughs]

I love the fabrics that you chose.

Feels like summer and spring,
and I think that's so amazing.

My only negative would be

that it's kind of hard to figure out
what's going on at some points,

like on the right sleeve
and on the front of the skirt,

it's kind of, like,
all congealing together in a way.

I actually agree with Emma.
I... I love the fabric of the shirt.

-I did not love the gingham with it.
-Okay.

The skirt was my least favorite part,
at the front, because...

-I disagree. The skirt's my favorite part.
-I know. She liked the skirt. [chuckles]

It falls very interestingly.

I don't think it needed the train
at the back.

[Jason] I'm disappointed.

It just began to be like this hodgemodge
of, like, "Let me just add."

-I just don't know what happened.
-[Eliana] Yeah.

I've actually never reworked,
like, already existing clothes before.

I'm familiar
with a certain way of working.

I've only been doing it for four years,
so I... I gave it my best shot.

[Gigi] Thank you so much, Eliana.
You gave us a lot to think about.

["Level Up" by Altitude Music playing]

♪ Take the win, it's probable... ♪

[Gigi] I love. I think it's so great
how you did this shape.

-[Desyrée] Thank you.
-[Gigi] I love the pant.

I'm mostly obsessed
with this double waistband on the top.

So funky fresh, but I wish
it felt, like, finished all the way down

and like one idea.

Gotcha.

♪ Last of first choice
Never last of... ♪

[Tan] Honestly,
I really don't like the shirt.

I love the backof the shirt.
Can you turn for me, please, my love?

-[Jason] Oh, so cool.
-I love the back.

I wish the back of the shirt was the front

because it just looks too obvious.
I love playful. I don't love juvenile.

There's a fine balance.

Yeah.

♪ Level, level, level, level up... ♪

This is so cool.

Every little tiny detail is so thoughtful.

All of the little tags are so good.

Although it's, like, a lot,

it makes so much sense,
and that's very difficult to do.

I love it. I love it. I love it.

[upbeat music playing]

I used all different types of crochets,
sweater knits, and tablecloths. [chuckles]

-You are a designer, honey.
-[laughs] Thank you!

[Jason] When you flipped that sweater
upside down and made it a skirt,

you were doing all the things

that a true designer
and a true artisan does.

This could go easily
from a carpet to Coachella.

[upbeat music continues]

I created this from a jacket,

kind of windbreaker,

and then I used some denim pieces,

and then up here,
this is the collar of the jacket,

and this is the hood.

-Drawstring.
-With the drawstring. I love it.

-I wanna wear it! [laughs]
-[laughs]

I love the little raw edge
of the corset on the bottom.

I love that you brought the fabric
from the top into the skirt.

I love how clean the skirt looks.

Even though it's deconstructed,
it looks very much reconstructed.

It's really beautiful.

I loved it. You gave me the campaign
for your collection.

You gave me your spring/summer campaign.

You have an identity, so congrats.
It's major.

I was so scared
because I don't repurpose clothing.

-Well, you should.
-You just did.

[Tan] Thank you so much.

[designers applauding,
cheering and laughing]

-Yay!
-Yay!

I used about five pairs of jeans
and two denim jackets to make this look.

I cut off all of the waistbands
from the jackets and the pants

to orchestrate this whole movement.

I loved it. You've told a story,

and you didn't
just place fabric willy-nilly.

You actually considered the placement
of every piece.

It was a very smart move.
Really proud of you, my love. Well done.

Thank you so much.

I think it's really beautiful.

I love how the top
is very perfect, tailored, tight.

Bottom kind of has some dimension.
I think that's really cool.

I think it would've been amazing
to sort of spice up the denim

because it's all denim.

I think it would've been really magical
to add something else.

I disagree with Emma.

-I'm obsessed that you went all denim.
-[laughs]

I think it shows so much restraint.
I'm so proud.

Thank you so much.
My entire body is in chills.

-You nailed it. Thank you so much.
-Awesome. You did such a good job.

[squealing]

-[squeals]
-[designer] Good job!

-Oh my God.
-[designers cheering]

-[Gigi] Hey, D.
-[Emma] Hello.

Hey, guys.

Deontré, can you please tell us
about all the garments

that it took to make your look?

A lot of denim jeans.
I did a lot of variations of that.

Also a gray hoodie as well
that was, like, really big and oversized

and kind of cropped it off

and added a corset with some scraps
to keep it all snatched and in place.

-I wanted to make a statement piece.
-You did make a statement piece.

The second that this came out, I was like...

[both gasp]

-No, like, my jaw was on the floor.
-[Deontré] Oh, wow.

[Emma] I mean, I was just so blown away

by the way that you took
the back pockets of jeans

and turned that into such a beautiful top.

It feels like my day-to-day outfit,
which is, like, a hoodie and jeans,

deconstructed and turned into something

that I never could've imagined
a hoodie and jeans being.

I'm honored.

I'm obsessed with the top.

I love the positioning of the pockets.
It's really beautifully done.

I love that you took that massive hoodie
and made it something more shapely.

I think it does so much for anyone's body.

Really impressive.
I can't believe you did it in four hours.

[Gigi] Everything about it, even the back,
it just feels finished.

It feels like a complete look.

We were blown away.

This was everything.

Thank you.

[Jason] Everything about the placement
of the pockets,

deciding to use the black denim
to ground it a bit more.

When it walked away, it was so romantic.

I like to take risks, so...

-Bravo, my friend.
-It worked.

-Thank you.
-Deontré, big slay.

Thank you, guys.

-[designers cheer and applaud]
-Hey, guys.

-Hi, Tré.
-Oh my God, I love you guys.

Now we have to decide
who won this challenge

and who's going home.

Um, they said they liked everything
about it.

They had nothing negative to say.

[Jason] Like, those two did something
so very kind of them

but also very now and still felt big.

-Yes.
-I respect that about you.

You really step up and you do your thing.

-Who were our weakest links today?
-Oh gosh.

Guys, listen, I'm so torn.

Eliana just shocked me,
and not in a great way.

I'm not getting to see what I wanna see.

I think my least favorite was Qaysean.

-Just disappointed, immediately.
-[Jason] Yeah.

-You all right?
-Yeah, I'm good.

Yeah, we're in it together. [chuckles]

Okay, so it sounds
like we've made a decision.

[Emma] Yeah.

-[Tan] Bye. Always good to see you.
-[Emma] Oh my God, so fun.

-[Emma, Jason] Group hug.
-I'm not part of the group.

-[Emma] Love you guys.
-Love you too! Bye, guys!

Thank you, thank you.
[grunts] This is gonna be tough.

Okay, guys,
could you come join us over here, please?

[energizing music plays]

Designers, pulling together
an entire runway-ready look

using only preexisting garments
in just a few hours

is actually insane.

You guys should be
very proud of yourselves.

[Tan] The looks were
so incredibly strong tonight.

We obviously had to figure out
whose design we actually truly loved

and should win this challenge.

That designer is...

[upbeat mysterious music playing]

Nigel.

[all applauding and cheering]

-[Megan] Yeah!
-[Amari] Oh my God!

-[screams]
-[designer] Fire!

[designer 2] You did it, bro.

It was so clear in your look
that it was yourlook.

You gave us something beautiful,
you inspired us,

and for those reasons,
you are the very well-deserving winner.

-[designers] Congrats.
-Thank you.

I appreciate it.

-Damn.
-[designer] Good job.

But there was somebody else
who actually impressed us.

We've decided

we want a second winner tonight.

[upbeat mysterious music playing]

Deontré.

-[all applaud and cheer]
-Yes!

[Tan laughs] Deontré, you were fantastic.

-We absolutely loved your look.
-[Gigi] You took our breath away.

Gigi and I are literally gonna fight
for that look.

-It was so, so beautiful.
-My heart is racing. [giggles]

Thank you.

Now it comes to the hard part.

[tense music playing]

[inhales, blows air]

[whispers] Gigi, no.

[voice breaking]
This was a tough decision for us

because we saw
how much work you guys put in.

[blows air]

But in the end,

we've decided that the designer
going home tonight is...

[tense music escalates, then fades]

[crying] Qaysean.

[soft music playing]

Thank you guys so much.

-I love you all. [laughs]
-[Bao] We love you.

[designers] Love you.

-I love you. It's all good.
-[Nigel] We love you.

[Qaysean, voice breaking]
I literally am okay with this decision

because everybody here deserves it,

and I would love
to see any one of them win.

All my life, I had to fight, you know.

[inhales] In a sense of just about...

-[sobbing] Sorry.
-[Desyrée] Oh, bro.

[Eliana] You're fine.

-[Qaysean crying] You know...
-Take your time.

I never wanted to feel like... [sniffs]

...I wasn't... necessary.

You know?

I never wanted to feel
like I couldn't take care of myself,

or that I wasn't able.

And, you know,
being a person with a disability...

[sniffs] ...people put a stigma on us.

So I always told myself that I was gonna
turn my disability into my super ability.

Like, I... I'm not sad.

Like, I feel complete.
I feel like it's the beginning. [cries]

[Gigi] Sorry.

It's okay.

And even walking into the room
is your superpower.

Absolutely. I'm here. [laughs]

-I'm here, so thank you guys so much.
-We love you, Qay.

It was wild. [smooches] Bye!

I feel good. It's tears, but it's just
accomplishment, you know what I'm saying?

I didn't know if I would ever be here,
standing here today, and... [sniffs]

It just goes to show that whatever
you put your mind to, you can do.

And I know, like, moving forward,
it's only going to go up from here,

so this is not the last
the world's gonna see.

This is literally
just the beginning, start.

I promise you that.

["Dark Eye" by Ah2 playing]