02x05 - Collaboration

[bunniefuu]

Today our designers are
taking on quite the unique challenge.

One that requires styles and ideas
to be combined seamlessly.

Collaboration. Let's go.

No... We're gonna have to go this way.

-But snacks are that way.
-This way. Come on, G.

["Own Your Fate" by Jadon Julian playing]

♪ Own your fate... ♪

-[Gigi] Mmm.
-[Tan] Ooh.

♪ Own your fate... ♪

-[Tan] Don't you look gorge?
-[Gigi] You look so cutie.

♪ Own your fate... ♪

-[Gigi] Good morning!
-[designers] Good morning!

-[Deontré] Wow.
-Welcome, designers.

I'm seeing double.

-[Megan laughs]
-[whimsical music playing]

[designers laugh] Whoa.

-[exciting music playing]
-Oh my God.

[Tan] You probably recognize
these garments.

They are looks that we collected from you

that you said
represent your signature style.

-Go stand by your designs! Go, go, go.
-[designers] Oh!

Do those designs still feel like you
now that you've done a few challenges?

I mean, still in some ways,
but I'm definitely elevated now.

-[James, Deontré] Yeah.
-That's what we want from this.

In this challenge, you will be tackling
one of the most popular trends

in the fashion world right now.

[Tan] A supreme challenge
of creative chemistry.

We are talking about...

collabs!

[James] Yes!

-[softly] Yes!
-[Tan laughs]

[Gigi] The heart and soul
of any good collaboration

is two juxtaposed styles working together

to create something that neither of them
could create on their own.

[Tan] Collaborations have been
revolutionizing the industry

with interesting marriages
of designer and brand alike.

For your collaboration challenge,
you won't be collaborating with a brand.

You will be working together.

-Yes.
-[Amari] Together.

Godoy. Come on, sweetheart, stand with me.

I'm your judge now.

-[Tan] Yeah!
-[Deontré laughs]

Godoy, the advantage
of winning the last challenge

is that you can select
who you would like to partner with.

[Gigi] This is a big decision.

Which of these gorgeous designers
do you wanna collab with?

My strategy behind picking my teammate

is definitely going with someone
who does menswear,

because I don't do menswear,

but still has, like,
that fun aspect to it.

The person that I'm going with,

they have definitely evolved
through the competition,

and I think, together,
we can create magic on the runway.

-[squeals] Who is it?
-Wow.

I choose...

-[suspenseful music playing]
-[Tan mimics drum roll]

-...James.
-[shouts] Yes!

-[Tan] JJ!
-Yeah! Can I come down here?

-[Tan laughs, cheers]
-[Gigi cheers]

That's fire.

Head over that way, please.

Why James?

We clearly have two very distinctive looks
that I feel could mesh together,

so why not?

[Gigi] All righty.

Now, for the rest of you, Tan and I
will be assigning your teammates.

[designers chuckle nervously]

-The power!
-My heart is racing.

-[Tan, softly] ...like, really well with...
-[mimics heartbeats]

[exhales sharply]

One of them does menswear very well.
The other does womens wear really well.

-Their collaboration would be interesting.
-[Gigi] Doesn't do a lot of color.

-[Tan] I think they could be interesting.
-[Gigi] Yeah.

-Ready for it?
-[Gigi] Yeah.

-Okay, let's start with Bao.
-Who do you got for me?

Bao, you are gonna be working with...

[suspenseful music playing]

...Desyrée.

-[designers cheer]
-[Desyrée] Work.

-[Bao] I'm excited.
-Okay, Bao?

-Okay. I've got some ideas.
-After yesterday...

Right now, I'm a little nervous

just because we are from opposite ends
of the spectrum.

It's super feminine on this side
and super masculine on this side.

I know we'll find a way
to meet in the middle.

-It's all girl power right here.
-Yep.

Next victim.

[Gigi] Deontré.

You will be working with...

-Megan.
-[James] Yeah!

-[designer] Work.
-It's a dream come true.

-[Megan squeals]
-[Tan] Aw. That's cute!

And that leaves our little Nige and Amari!

-[Godoy] Yay! Yes!
-Come on, come on down!

-[Nigel] Yo. [laughs]
-[laughs] Amari, why are you indifferent?

[all laughing]

-No. I love Nigel.
-[Tan] Aw. That's cute.

[designers] Aw.

-[romantic music plays]
-[Tan] Nigel, why are you blushing?

-I mean...
-[Tan and Gigi laugh]

How you feeling about
being paired up with me?

[giggles]

-[Godoy] They're kinda cute together, huh?
-[Gigi] So cute!

You're really good together.

For this challenge, each team of two
will need to present two looks.

-One male and one female.
-Perfect.

[Tan] We wanna see a balance
of both team members

in each of the designs.

Too much of one or the other
is not an effective collaboration

and is not gonna cut it in this challenge.

You will get seven hours today
to start working on your two looks,

then a few more hours tomorrow
before the runway show

to finish it all up.

Gigi and I will be judging your looks,
and we'll be collaborating in that judging

with a new member
of our Next in Fashionfamily.

If there is a magazine cover
making cultural waves,

it's probably styled by her.

-Right, G?
-[Gigi] Yeah.

[Tan] The Voguecontributing editor
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.

-[Desyrée] Whoa!
-[Deontré] Work.

-[designers applauding]
-"Whoa" indeed. "Whoa" indeed. Whoa.

And we have another special guest
joining us.

[Tan] A designer and creative director

that has revolutionized the fashion world
with his collaborations.

His looks have been seen
on some of the biggest names in fashion.

Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber.

-I could go on all day.
-She really could.

We are very excited
that joining us tomorrow for the runway

is the boy wonder of Balmain...

-Oh my God.
-[Gigi] ...Olivier Rousteing.

-[Bao] Wow.
-[James] Work.

Oh my God.

Olivier, his designs are just impeccable.

He's done so many collabs
with so many other fashion houses.

To see his rise inspires me
to just stay on that path as well.

[Gigi] For this challenge,

it is incredibly important
that you find a way to work together

because whichever team comes in last

will be leaving the competition
after the runway show.

-The team?
-The team?

Both people within that team
will be leaving us.

[tense music playing]

-You gotta be kidding me.
-Two people?!

sh*t just got real.

Chances of me going home has now doubled.

'Cause it's a double elimination.

[Deontré] We need to be equally
in these designs.

You don't want to be the reason
someone else goes home.

This is insane.

The stakes are so high at this point,
so work together.

-[sucks air] Oof, it's hot in here.
-[Tan] Do not let each other down.

Your collab challenge starts...

-[tense music escalates]
-[drumroll]

-[both] Now!
-[James] Let's go.

-[designers laughing]
-[Godoy] Run, run as fast as you can.

♪ Stay for a while
But don't dare cramp my style... ♪

-Gige.
-Yes, Tanny.

-Collaboration challenge.
-I'm excited.

[Tan] If one of them
lets the other one lead a little bit more,

we might actually see only one designer.

-That's not what we're after.
-I know.

Even though you wanna be
the one that stands out and shines,

if your teammate falls, you both fall.

Oh yeah.

You're very sexy on a feminine side,
and I'm very sexy on a man side,

so I feel like we should be able
to combine both of those.

[Tan] Bao really celebrates the woman,

and Desyrée, up until the last challenge,
had never dressed a woman,

and that's why we put them together.

So I think
they could create something amazing.

♪ 'Cause I am the star of the show... ♪

I wanna do playful, whimsical streetwear.

-Okay.
-We've never seen it before.

Ever.

Would you like to play
on my type of silhouettes?

[Megan] Yeah.
Maybe do it in a bright color.

Megan's aesthetic is so,
so different from Deontré's.

But, as we've seen in a couple
of Deontré's looks, he can go big.

We can probably play with some
of my textiles and your silhouettes.

Nigel and Amari
are a really interesting pairing.

I thought they'd be more excited
about being together.

-But maybe there's a little...
-Flirty, flirty.

We can be cool and sleek at the same time
because I'm sleek, and you cool as hell.

[both laugh]

[Tan] I'm interested to see
how Nigel works with Amari.

He's so quiet in his focus,
and she gets more loud and...

-Tasmanian Devil.
-Yeah.

I sort of like the idea
of a cropped jacket.

[gasps, whispers] With a corset too.

Godoy's womens wear is really dramatic.

James is incredibly playful.

Those two combined could come up
with something commercially viable.

-[Gigi] Yeah.
-[Tan] But James works very last minute.

Godoy knows what he wants from the offset.

[Godoy] Start with who's our couple?

-Yeah.
-And where are they going?

Know what that makes me think of?
A New Year's Eve party.

[James] The story is
you're leaving your New Year's Eve party,

jumping into a limo,

grab a slice of New York pizza
on your way out.

-We can use the leather for the lapel.
-[James] That's what I was thinking too.

-Imagine that.
-Yeah.

[Godoy] For our male design,
we are creating a cropped blazer,

a button-down tuxedo shirt with a corset,
and a wide-leg pant.

For our female design,
we are making a mesh corset as well

with an exposed shirt collar,

as well as a draped velvet skirt.

These designs really highlight
who each of us are.

-I'm excited to execute them.
-I'm gonna start on the shirt.

I definitely trust Godoy
to take on a lot of the construction

because I've never sewn
a lot of these pieces before ever.

[Godoy] When you get to corners,
let me know.

-I'll teach you how to get sharp corners.
-Okay. Mine are sloppy.

[upbeat music playing]

Anytime you do anything,
it looks crazy cool.

[laughs]

I think both of us
being female business owners

in the fashion space,

we have that mentality, like,
"Let's make a decision and move forward."

Des and I have a really good synergy
with working with each other.

It's knowing how to run a business.

You know the importance
of collaboration. It's...

[Desyrée] I think you're just making it
in two pieces.

-Yeah.
-[Desyrée] That's fine.

It's such a balancing act,

trying to manage
being a badass businesswoman

with being a beautiful mom.

-[Bao laughs]
-[baby giggles]

-[uplifting music playing]
-Fashion is a rich-kid sport.

It's very expensive,

but I'm funding my business myself
despite the odds.

It's nonstop, and it's a dragon
that keeps on needing to get fed.

If I spend too much time
with the business,

I feel I'm shortchanging my kids.

But then when I'm with my girls,
I hate that gnawing feeling of,

"I've got a list a thousand miles long
of what I have to do."

So if I was able to win the competition,
it would allow me to expand my team,

and in that way, give me the time
so then I can be a better mom

and be more present with my girls.

-[Bao laughing]
-[baby laughing]

[Bao] They're my legacy.

I just wanna have
a more beautiful balance.

-♪ Bao Bao-Bao-Bao-Bao and Desyrée! ♪
-Hi.

-[Tan] Hi, guys! [laughs]
-"And Desyrée." [laughs]

-[Bao] A little add-on there.
-Hi, guys.

[Gigi] What are you guys making?

[Bao] We are totally opposite sides
of masculine and feminine,

but united with our feminine energy.

We wanted to make sure

that it was, like a gender-fluid,
interchangeable kind of feel.

[Desyrée] On the menswear side,
we are doing a Cuban cropped shirt

with Bao's implied cutouts,

and then on the trouser,
we're going to add fringe down the side.

On the female look,

we are doing Bao's signature bodysuit,

a deconstructed blazer,
a strong jacket with shoulder pads,

and we also have a short
to complement the jacket.

[Tan] So the bouclé you're using
for the short?

-[Desyrée] Mm-hmm.
-You're also using where?

-The jacket.
-[Tan] Great!

[Desyrée] Even though she teeters
along the lines of the cutouts

and I have a more refined,

I still want to make it fun and playful,
but still sexy.

I love this. I feel like I can feel sexy
in designs that are feminine like Bao's

and also masculine like yours, Desyrée.

And it's something
that I would be excited to put on myself.

[salsa music playing]

The biggest part
I'm gonna do at the forehead.

[sewing machine whirring]

-[whirring]
-[James] Oh, brutal.

Two designers going home tomorrow?

More space for me
to twirl around this workroom.

[laughs]

I haven't made streetwear before,

and I don't think D
has really entered my arena.

-Whatever that may be.
-Never. [laughs]

I think the drama of both of our styles
comes from the ways we create volume.

[Deontré] We love to wow the judges,
and we take it to a different place.

For me, it's a perfect match.

You said you wanted a wide leg.

[Megan] Yeah, 'cause I've never seen
a wide-leg puff-pant.

I think it's gonna be sick.

Our menswear look is going to be
a two-piece puffer ski suit in pink

with exaggerated silhouettes

that mimic some of the shapes
I've done before.

Maybe you could help me
with the hood for the cape.

And for the womens wear look,
we're going to do a puffer cape,

a skirt with ruffles, and a corset.

I'm feeling really understood by Deontré,
and right now, it's really working.

This is the first leg.

[electronic music playing]

Oops, sorry.

Wow!

Nigel really knows how to create textiles.

Like, this already looks kinda fire.

Amari's usually just running around
the sewing room, you know, just yelling.

So... [laughs]

[both laughing]

But, nah, she's just, like, very frantic
and, like, flustered,

but I'm very calm.

I feel I can kinda bring that to her,

but she could also
bring that, you know, that...

What'd you say?
What's a good word? Antsyness?

-No.
-[chuckling] No!

That's how you do me?

-What?
-We gon' have a talk outside here.

I'm not saying nothing bad.

-I really be that frantic and stressed?
-They gon' see.

-[laughs]
-They gon' see!

Nige and Amari!

-[Nigel] Yo.
-[Gigi] Hey, you two.

-[Tan] Hi.
-[Amari] Hi.

How are you working together so far?

-We got a good flow.
-[Gigi] Good.

Tell us what you are actually doing.

[Amari] Our first look,
which is the men's,

we're making
a cropped, oversized denim jacket,

and then for our pant,

we're doing a corseted waistband
with a nice slit down the front.

Okay, so that's one look.
What's the second?

-Um...
-[Tan laughs]

Yeah, we're still trying
to formulate that one up.

-[Nigel and Amari laugh]
-Just say you don't know!

We're working on it.
We wanna be inspired by our first...

-Our first look.
-Okay.

-Good luck.
-Love you and leave you.

-We got a lot to do.
-Let's go.

[hip-hop music playing]
♪ Can we bounce? ♪

♪ Can we bounce?... ♪

♪ Can we bounce? ♪

-♪ Can we bounce?... ♪
-You have four hours...

-[Tan, Gigi] ...left.
-[sighs]

Imagine what you could do.
You could collaborate!

You could talk to each other.

[hip-hop music playing]

Two people are going home.
Yes, we're scared as hell.

We really have to create
something magical.

[Megan] I wonder
if the skirt should be pleats

instead of ruffles.

-I think pleats will be more cute too.
-I'll do pleats.

-[whirring]
-[James] Do you like it small or big?

-I mean, we know what I like. [chuckles]
-You like the bigger pattern?

-Oh, on the leather.
-Yeah.

-Got it. Never mind.
-Oh. Got it.

-[laughing]
-[Tan] Designers.

Please put your tools down.
We have a very special announcement.

No!

-Special, you say?
-I'm scared. [giggles]

[Tan] With all
this collaborative teamwork,

it seems like
you've already got it in the bag.

-Mm-Mm. No.
-[Tan] No?

-I wouldn't say that. [laughs]
-Not at all.

Speaking of bags, the accessory
is the ultimate collaboration item.

An interesting accessory
can transform a collab

from a statement to a viral sensation.

So each team must design and create
one accessory to go with their looks.

All right.

Get back in there. Go!

It's just one little one!
What you all panicking about?

-It's gonna be great.
-They can do this, for goodness' sake.

This is crazy.

Finding out we have to add an accessory

adds more pressure
on the timing of everything

because we don't have a womens wear look,

so I'm feeling a bit scared.

We have a ton of stuff to do.

[Nigel] I love a bucket hat,

so we could always
play with that idea for the guy.

[Amari] Right.

-I could do a puffer duffel bag. [laughs]
-That'd be cool.

So, like, a cute little duffel?

-Like a little mini one.
-Handheld.

[Bao] Yeah, that'd be cute.

-I was thinking of a clutch.
-[James] Yes, I love it.

-How's it goin'?
-[Godoy] Great. How are you doing?

-Good.
-So far so good.

[Gigi] What are you feeling
about this accessory?

[James] This is Godoy's idea. It's great.
It's, like, an envelope bag, clutch.

We had leather, which was pretty awesome.

That feels easy to flip into an accessory.

It does feel easy.

Can I say something
that's gonna be less easy?

Collaboration pieces are something
that's, like, so different,

and I don't know if, like, an envelope
black leather bag is giving that.

I would love for you guys
to, like, go more funky and weird.

Promise? Boop.

-[James] Nice.
-[Godoy] Thanks.

[Bao] You see it?

[Desyrée] You're gonna cover up
what you're trying to show.

[Bao] It's almost like
we're doing two blazers.

Let's do it out of that.

If we don't like it,
we still have the bodysuit.

True. Okay.

We designed a lot of pieces.

So a blazer
over another deconstructed blazer

and then the bodysuit underneath,

and as I'm draping the blazer,
my inner voice is telling me

my signature aesthetic
isn't being seen enough.

My fear is, like,
we're not having components of this

and then it doesn't feel
like a collaboration.

[Desyrée] I mean, that fabric
is losing me right now.

We're missing the sexy.

We could always mix
another fabric in with the mesh.

-So it doesn't just have to be all mesh.
-[Desyrée] Yeah.

[rap music playing]

♪ Do you want to be a champion?

-♪ Got what it takes to be a champion?... ♪
-[whirring]

[whirring]

-I wanna go do something.
-What are you doing?

[Gigi] Something I just... Watch.

[mischievous music playing]

-[Tan laughing] Try it on?
-[Gigi] Yeah.

[Tan] I wanna try one on.

[whirring]

[mischievous music continues]

[laughing]

-[Megan] Oh my God, Gigi's wearing my fit!
-[designers squeal]

-[Godoy] Oh my God.
-[designers laughing] Hey!

We just came
for some midday entertainment, y'all.

Get out of here!

[Megan] This is the most fun part
of the day.

[Amari] Tan, you're so glam!

-[Gigi] You like?
-Get out of the way, I love it.

-[Gigi] Thank you.
-[Tan] Are you impressed, Godoy?

Oh my God, that's so hot.

-[laughs]
-[laughs]

-[Tan] Bye!
-[Gigi] See ya!

[whirring]

Before the torso paneling,
let's talk about our female look.

Before the end of the day,

we need to figure out what we 'bout to do
with our womens wear look,

get this bucket hat started,

and try to get some construction going
on our men's look.

-[Amari] Know how to make a hoodie?
-[Nigel] Yeah.

Can we have a high slit or something?
'Cause it needs to look sexy.

[Amari] For our female look,

we're doing a corseted hoodie,
which is double layered,

and then we're doing a overlap miniskirt.

We have so much textiles to do.

If we don't have the base
for both of our looks,

we're not gonna be able to finish.

[Nigel] So with that skirt,

do you think
you'll knock that out pretty quick?

-[Amari] Maybe an hour?
-[Nigel] I don't wanna hear "hour."

Okay, you want 30 minutes
for me to make it?

-[Nigel] Yeah, that sounds better to me.
-[Amari] Okay.

If we don't do well
and I don't handle my end of the bargain,

we will both be going home,
and I wouldn't be able to sleep with that.

I'm glad we're not stressed and pressed.

♪ Megan and Deontré! ♪

-[Megan] Hi!
-♪ What is going on? ♪

Does that look like something else
I've seen on the runway

within the last couple of challenges?

-[Megan laughing] Maybe a little bit.
-A tiny bit! Your pleating is the same.

It actually even laid
in the same direction.

I remember it distinctly.

-Are you playing it a little safe?
-Deontré is gonna go in and add straps.

So we are gonna see something
from you in this.

-Don't play it safe.
-[Deontré] I won't.

-Thank you.
-Thank you so much. Good luck.

[Deontré] How you feeling about the skirt?
Wanna keep it and elevate it?

I love the skirt. I don't want them
to say that's the same thing you did.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

What if there were bloomers?

[Deontré] Mmm.
I would just have to see that.

[Megan] Mmm.

I spent a lot of time in my childhood
being really shy and insecure

because I've always had anxiety,

but I always felt that, like, fashion was
this way that I could connect with people.

I'm just a little panicking,

and I'm wondering
if we should somehow adjust.

-Maybe we should do something simpler.
-Simpler?

I don't know
if I'm gonna have time to do all that.

Usually, I'm pretty good
at taking criticism,

but I feel a lot of pressure
because two people are going home,

and I would just be so devastated
if I contributed to Deontré going home,

who I know wants this so badly.

[Deontré] Just a minor setback.

[exhales sharply]

[Godoy] I'm gonna sew
the female bodice together.

I am taking on a lot
of the structural work.

I'm putting my boning in.
I'm cutting the jacket.

Look what I just did!

But I don't mind doing it because
it's gonna help out our team at the end.

-I can't believe you can do this so fast.
-[Nigel] Be quick.

-I can do it, Nigel! [laughs]
-[Nigel laughs]

I haven't took on the Amari energy
just yet.

-Hopefully, it doesn't come tomorrow.
-Don't be giving me anxiety right now.

Nigel and Amari, beautiful fabrication.

I love that mix of fabrics.
However, we are way late in the game

to be considering
what the women's look's gonna be.

That's gonna be their downfall.

For the guy,
I got, like, magenta shoes with cow print.

Megan and Deontré.
I'm a little bit concerned.

Megan put an orange skirt
onto that mannequin

that looked almost identical
to something she's shown us before.

However, with the men's look, I guess
I am seeing a little bit of Deontré

'cause there's the puffer pant.
There's gonna be a puffer hoodie.

-But the color, because it's so vibrant...
-Looking like a lotta Megan.

We need a pocket on this,
and we need the other sleeve.

[Tan] Bao and Desyrée,

they didn't like the top
of the women's look.

Half jacket, bodysuit, then a top over it.
It looks a little messy.

[Desyrée] We're looking real scrappy
over here.

You know who I'm really excited about?
Godoy and James.

-[Gigi] Me too.
-They're working really well.

And you know why?

-Story.
-[Tan] Story.

Okay, I feel a little inspired.

-[Godoy] For what?
-[James] Hear me out. Pizza purse.

Okay.

However, it could all go wrong.
We never know! [laughs]

-It could go wrong! [laughs]
-Don't hold us to that.

[James] What do you think
about this sequin? This is the crust.

Pepperonis. You feel good about that?

[Godoy] I... strongly dislike these fabrics.

I think we should keep it
in the, like, sleek realm.

[James] I don't know.

-Trust me.
-I feel like this might hit.

Okay, well, keep it here,
and I'm here for the pizza purse, 100%.

-♪ Heartbeats climbing! ♪
-♪ Nothing left to lose now!... ♪

That's how you do it.

One hour left, my loves.

[Tan] Woo! Sixty whole minutes!
You generous girl.

[Nigel] Keep going.
Keep going. Keep going.

[pop music playing]
♪ Oh oh, I don't wanna play... ♪

I think that makes it something
they haven't seen before,

using the tweed as the top of the corset.

Where's the other cuff?

[Megan] I actually
really love the cape now.

-I wanna do the pizza purse real bad.
-Yeah.

Now that I look at it,
I think we should do it out of this.

With this as pepperonis.

[James] Oof, I don't know, man.
Don't know if it's gonna read like pizza.

I think the literal approach to it
is what we don't, like...

[James] That's kinda what I like about it.

-That it's so literal?
-[James] A bright pop of pizza.

That makes no sense though.

♪ Got me feeling fearless
Unbreakable spirit ♪

Even though we have a lot to do,
I'm trying to be on my chill vibe.

I don't wanna
put my worry-ness onto Nigel.

-[exhales] We got this.
-[Deontré] Yeah.

Tools down, collab cooks.

That is it for today.

We gotta get a lot done.

You'll have more time tomorrow to finish
your collab two looks and accessories.

-[Gigi] Good night.
-Good night!

-Sweet dreams.
-[Godoy] Good night.

[rap music playing]

-♪ Every day's a new day... ♪
-[designer] Go, go, go, go, go.

-[designer 2] Let's go!
-[designer 3] Let's go.

-All right, let's see what we got here.
-[Bao] That looks cute.

-Do you wanna experiment with the straps?
-Yeah.

[Godoy] The men's corset, I'll finish it,
or should I work on the skirt?

Um... Yeah, that's maybe a good idea.

-[Nigel] We're back. Four more hours.
-Yeah, forget "Good morning."

-You gon' get this work.
-Yeah. We got some work to do.

I didn't cut the corset yet,
but I'll do this part real quick.

♪ Here we go!... ♪

-[Nigel] How's it looking?
-[Amari] Yeah, perfect.

Day two, we really have
no pieces made at all.

We just have fabrications and patterns.

It's a double elimination.

That's a lot of pressure.

I'm definitely a little stressed.
Trying not to show it too much.

I need to hurry up
and get this base done real quick.

You and I both.

So I wake up this morning
to a text from Nigel at 3:00 a.m.

sending me a list of things we need to do.

-With a little pep talk at the end.
-Don't forget the pep talk.

I can't forget
the "We got this. We gon' win."

Look, Nigel.

Perfect.

-[Megan] Is this a good length finished?
-[Deontré] Looks perfect.

I'm feeling a lot better
than I was yesterday.

We're actually a lot better off
than I thought we were.

Today we're touching
upon each of the looks

and creating a cohesive set of designs.

-Why are you smirking at me?
-[Deontré] I... I sewed the wrong side.

-It's supposed to be the silky side.
-[laughs]

[pop music playing]

-We'll cut this side, leave these implied.
-Amazing.

[Desyrée] Top of the day, Bao is finishing
the bodysuit and the female jacket,

and then I am working on the men pieces.

Before I put the pants together,
I need to add that stitch line.

I can definitely see both of us
in everything.

Life is good.

[hip-hop music playing]

♪ A little bit of this
And a little of that... ♪

[sewing machine whirring]

My shirt's in good shape.

I think I gotta get to work
on that pizza purse.

Then let's do that.

As James is working on the pizza bag,
I'm starting to realize

that in order for us
to get complete looks down the runway,

I'm gonna have to take over
about 80% of the looks.

I'm currently working on two corsets,
a jacket, pants, and a skirt.

It's like luxury pizza.

[chuckling] You're freaking me out.

[voice over PA]
Models to the workroom, please.

-[Nigel] What's up? How you doing?
-What's up, man?

[James] Okay, let's get you a fit.

Let me just see
where I'm gonna crop this at

and hopefully
you can also wear the jacket,

but we'll see
how you're going on the runway.

[Godoy] I have so much stuff to do.

Just do you. I'm here to help you.

-Do you know how to sew? [laughs]
-[model] I don't.

We could also have straps
coming from the shirt.

[Deontré] It should.

[Nigel] Yeah. That's gon' be money.

Right now, the coat
has been stitched all together.

I have to stuff it.
You'll see it take form.

Right now, it's a flat surface,

but once we fill it up like air in tires,
you'll see it come to life.

I made the crust wavy,
but I think it's a little too wacky.

Yeah.

[James] This is no joke
because two people will go home,

and, you know, Godoy got to choose anyone.

I would hate
for him to walk away from this opportunity

feeling that he made a mistake
in partner choice.

It's a lot of pressure.

[voice over PA] Designers,
please take all materials

that you will need for the runway
backstage.

-[Deontré] I'm gonna go grab a station.
-[Megan] Okay.

-[Bao] I'm coming back for a second trip.
-[Godoy] Oh, f*ck me.

-[Megan] Whoa! I burnt myself. [laughs]
-Oh wow.

Pizza bag!

[voice over PA]
Let's load the audience, please.

[Desyrée] Bao, what you think
about this mesh to kind of bring you in,

in this little purse?

Hell yeah.

The fit is perfect.

So my look is fully constructed.

The skirt is done.
The hoodie is done. The zipper is in.

-Let's talk about what we need finished.
-[Nigel] I'm giving you the jacket to cut.

I can move onto the bucket.
We have to have an accessory.

If we don't get this done in time,

it's game over.
Me and Amari are going home.

-With no coins.
-[laughs] Yeah.

-[Amari] Come on. Move faster, Amari.
-[Megan] The pants are looking amazing.

Godoy, that is a very sexy skirt.
Are you proud of it?

[sighs] Let's finish it,
then I'll be proud of it.

Okay, Bao, look.
Just add the zipper to it there.

I'm gonna work on the bucket hat.
Blood pressure is definitely up right now.

-I'm in love with our accessories!
-[Megan] I know!

We have 30 minutes left. How about that?

We'll be working to the last second.

[James] This velvet disintegrates
when you cut it.

How did you do this?

You made a whole skirt, and I'm like,
"I can't get pepperonis." [laughs]

Sometimes time flies,
and you don't realize

how long you've been working on something.

We need one on this side and on that side
'cause it has to open with the zipper.

-[Godoy] I think it goes here.
-I'm cool with that.

Or sometimes you work
on a pizza bag for three hours,

and you think it's been an hour. [laughs]

-[exciting music playing]
-[crowd cheering]

Hi!

[Deontré scatting]

Welcome, everybody, to Next in Fashion.

The theme of this runway show
is collaboration.

[Tan] The designers have been working
in teams of two

to combine their signature styles

into looks that represent
the very best of both of them.

[Bao] We should try the jacket on him too.

[Tan] Gigi and I
will be critiquing the looks tonight,

but we will not be doing it alone.

[Gigi] Joining us
from the Next in Fashionfamily

is a stylist who has worked
with Serena Williams and Selena Gomez.

She has crafted
the most culturally important cover shoots

of Vogue, Vanity Fair,and many more.

-Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.
-[Tan and crowd cheering]

Gabby, we're so excited to have you.

[Amari] Yes.

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

And we are also excited
to announce a very special guest judge.

He is a designer
that has single-handedly transformed

one of the most revered
couture fashion houses

into a household name.

Please welcome to the stage
the "it man" behind Balmain.

Olivier Rousteing.

-[Gigi] Woo!
-[crowd cheers]

[Gigi squeals]

-[Bao] Oh, that's sweet.
-[Desyrée laughs]

-[Bao] Fits exactly the same as the shirt.
-Fire.

You have put together
so many groundbreaking collaborations.

What goes into a successful collab?

Be yourself, be generous,

and at the same time,
collaboration is like a wedding.

-It's all about compromising.
-[all laugh]

[Tan] Yes.

-Oh my God, I just love it.
-I know.

[voice over PA]
Please send your models to the runway.

-I'm so proud of us.
-[Deontré] We finally did it.

-Let the runway begin.
-Woo.

-[stage manager] Okay, standing by.
-[both] Ooh.

[stage manager] Standing by, models.

-[exciting music playing]
-[crowd awing]

[stage manager] Come on, we're going.

Eyes forward.

Two, one, and go.

[crowd cheering]

[all cheering]

-Oh, fab.
-Ooh.

I love, love the polka dots.

We're living in a folklore fantasy.
That is coming through strongly.

[Olivier] I love the proportion.
Short jacket, big, oversized pants, flare.

And I love the fact
that it looks like outerwear.

I think that's very cool.

I love the men's look.
I'm not into the short on our girl.

The only thing I like
is the hood and the bag.

-Same.
-[Olivier] True.

I don't know
if the looks make sense together.

They look like
two different collaborations.

-Two different girls.
-[Olivier] I have to say, I don't agree.

I think they look cool together,
and I love the oversized bag.

[stage manager] Standing by
for the second group. And go.

-Oh, love!
-[Gigi] Ooh.

-[designers cheering]
-[James] It looks awesome.

[Gigi] This is Nigel's fabrication.

It's what he's known for.
That bucket hat is so Nigel.

I think that's a smart accessory.

But Amari has really pushed him
into new silhouettes,

and I can see both of them in both looks.

[Olivier] It's incredible, the patchwork.
I love the mix of denim.

I think it's back, like, to the '90s.
At the same time, it feels so 2050.

[Tan] The jacket is relatively simple,

but the fact that he's given him
a really long sleeve is...

the proportions are interesting.

[Gigi] I love that underwear peeking
out of that. The skirt, that is so cute.

[Olivier] It's insane.

[Gigi] And I like that you can take pieces
from the men's look and the women's look,

mix them, and it still works.

[Tan] This is how a collaboration,
in my opinion, should work.

It's very clear
they're going to the same party.

[stage manager] And go, lady. Go, man.

-Chic.
-I love this.

-[designers cheering]
-[designer] Nice!

[Gabriella] I love so much

that we're using this, like,
very sophisticated, grown-up bouclé

kind of like French chic woman,

and we're making it a dirty downtown girl.

Like, that is everything for me.

To be able to speak
to many different people in one look...

-[judges] Yeah.
-[Gabriella] ...that's what we look for.

-[Olivier] Oh, nice.
-[Gabriella] Wow.

If you're gonna come with the drama,
you're gonna come with the drama.

I love that.

The woman gave her jacket to the man.

It's not like always the man
gives the jacket to the woman.

-[Gigi] Cool.
-I like that.

[Gabriella] Reversing those gender roles.

[Gigi] I can totally see
both Desyrée and Bao in this.

[Tan] Same.

She couldn't have done this
without Desyrée and vice versa.

[Tan] I also love the mini duffel bag.

-[Gigi] Oh, it's so cute!
-[Tan] It's really cute.

When you see a collab accessory,
it has to be special.

I think that's so different
and such a fun take on a mini duffel.

[Tan] Agreed.

[stage manager] Last model. Go. Go.

[dramatic music playing]

Ooh.

-[designers] Ooh.
-Lovely!

-[Gabriella] It's giving Moulin Rouge.
-[Tan] That's exactly it.

Or like Phantom of the Opera.

I love the fact
that both of them have the corset.

-[Tan] Yeah.
-[Gigi] I just don't like the fabric.

That black fabric
is not coming off expensive.

It's a little bit old.

- I think his outfit's k*ller.
-[Gigi] I love the pants on the man.

[Gabriella] The super wide-leg flare,

it's like a ball gown interpreted
in a traditionally more masculine way.

[Gigi] Don't know if it needed the collar.
It makes it a little bit costume.

And with the really tiny skirt,

I just think it could've been edited
a little bit more.

-[Olivier] I'm not sure about that bag.
-The bag is really adorable! [laughs]

-Really?!
-[Tan laughing]

I wish that the pizza bag was just made
with more materials that made sense.

[stage manager]
We're ready for finale. And go. Go.

-[exciting music playing]
-[crowd cheering and whistling]

-[designers cheering]
-Yes!

[designers screaming]

[Godoy] Yes!

-Yo.
-You all looked incredible.

I'm so, like, comfortable,

and everyone's like "wow,"
and I just feel, like, so yummy.

-You are yummy.
-Thank you.

[lively music playing]

Amari and Nigel,
I would love to introduce you to Olivier.

-[squeals] I'm fangirling!
-[Gigi] And Gabriella.

-A pleasure meeting you. Oh man.
-Nice to meet you.

Please tell us about your collaboration.

[Nigel] I do a lot of, like, manipulation
and textile work,

so I wanted to play with the fringe,
the two different denims,

and then she plays
with amazing silhouettes,

so I wanted to kinda capitalize
in those moments.

-How did you like working in a team?
-It was amazing.

I was able to kinda give more
of a feminine touch to my work,

and I really appreciate you for that.

-Thanks, Nigel.
-Of course.

[Olivier] I think
you brought me back to the '90s.

At the same time, you make me understand
what could be tomorrow.

I love the textile.

I think the combination
of the denim, the stripes,

it's really smart.

I think your sexiness is the key.

I'm not sure about the little underwear.

-I love the underwear.
-That's my favorite part.

-Oh God, girls.
-[all laughing]

Except that,
you made an incredible collaboration.

So I would just say, "Bravo."

Thank you so much.

We've seen a thousand denim skirts,
but you've given us a modern version.

[Olivier] Yeah.

I also love that you gave us
a slit on the man's pant,

which makes him a little sexier.

It's a really interesting thing to do.

That bucket hat is dope.
It would sell a million times.

-We did it.
-[Gigi] All right, thank you so much.

[Amari] Thank you. Bye. Thank you, guys.

We did it! We did it!
We did it! We did it! We did it!

I feel like you can tell
they really respect one another.

Yes. Absolutely.

This is insane.

-[laughing] I know.
-I'm, like, speechless, like...

-[sighs]
-Now it's the waiting game.

[upbeat music playing]

Our collection is called
Streetwear Through the Looking Glass.

We wanted to combine my whimsical,
playful, kind of otherworldly designs

with Deontré's bold,
exaggerated streetwear.

The menswear look felt like you, Deontré,

but it also bridged the gap
between your two worlds,

in the color,

in the exaggerated proportion
of the sleeve.

It felt quirky,
but also fashion forward to me

in a way this womens wear look did not.

Yeah. I don't know if I see Deontré at all
in the womens wear look.

First of all, I love pink.

Thank you. [laughs]

The menswear, to me, feels strong.

I love the sleeves.
I love the proportion. I love the shapes.

I'm really not into this look there.

I get where you wanna go,
and there is a fantasy there.

I love the bag.

I think the proportion
of the bag is great,

but I'm not sure at all about the pant.

My intention with the pants was to kind of
mimic the shape of the puffer coat,

but do something that was still wearable.

Megan, I actually love
your kooky point of view.

-I think it's really fresh.
-Thank you.

However, there's a tipping point
when it goes a little too kooky.

So keep that zest for life that you have,

but still remember you're gonna wanna
sell a full collection at some point.

-Totally.
-Designers, thank you.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

-Thank you. Thank you.
-Thank you.

We did our best, and we did good.

I'm definitely not feeling good

because a lot of the attention
seems to be drawn to the womens wear look.

-It's not good.
-Yeah.

[crying] I just don't wanna be responsible
for my friend going home, so... [chuckles]

[sniffs]

You know, we gave it our all,
and that's all that you could ever do.

[upbeat music playing]

I primarily focus on menswear.

Very sleek, cool, chill,
but very versatile.

I'm very more,
like, sexy, powerful, dominant.

I'm all about the female form
and all the ways I can shape it out.

I thought this was
such a successful collaboration.

-[laughs]
-Oh, thank you.

It's so clear

that there was a really strong respect
for each other's craft,

and that's the mark
of a true collaboration.

I loved on the runway
when you gave your jacket to him.

I thought that was really smart.

There was something that feels so fresh.

I so admire
the versatility of these looks.

To make that jacket look so fab on her

with the proportion of the shoulder
and the oversized vibe,

but then for it
to look good on him as well

is a really difficult task.

And I think what you nailed as well
is the details.

The pants, the details on the pocket,

the fact that you did really thin piping
with really thin fringes.

That fabric that could be really ladylike,
and there you make it really tough.

I also love the collab bag.

-I think it's so cute.
-[Tan] My favorite accessory.

-So fab.
-It is so cute.

-[both laughing]
-Okay, guys, thank you so much.

-[Tan] Thank you. Congratulations, guys.
-I'mma hug you from here.

-[Tan laughs]
-Here we go.

-[squeals]
-Give me that sh*t. Aw.

-[Megan] Good job, guys!
-That was...

It was amazing.

[pop music playing]

My personal style
is fun, flirty, voluminous,

and everything is nipped.

And I would say my personal style
is a little bit more sharp,

it's a little bit more formal,
and that's where we drew inspiration.

They're coming from
a New Year's Eve holiday party.

About to step into the limo.

They wanted to get a few snacks
on the way first.

Godoy, you had the advantage
in this challenge.

You got to choose
your collaborator, James.

Do you think it was successful?

In my eyes, yes.

It was such a great idea
to deconstruct black tie,

which is such a traditional concept,
and make it really sexy.

Um, but there was something missing to me
in terms of elevation in the women's look.

The construction of that corset
is really impressive,

and I love the tuxedo detailing
in the bodice,

but there was, like, a cheapness to it

that I know is not something
represented in your work.

I love the corset,

but I would have loved to see her
in, like, a tailored men's short.

You went so feminine and new
on the twist with the suit

that I would've liked for her to have
a little bit more masculine touch.

[Olivier] The thing that I love
is the pants.

I love the cropped jacket,
and I love the two corsets.

I think the choice of the fabric,
it's wrong.

It feels a bit costumey,

and I have a really hard time
with the pizza bag.

I like the pizza bag
as a standalone piece.

It's funny and playful.

However, if you don't know the story,
it's so distracting.

There's too many ideas in one look.

I just wish
that you had shown us sophistication

that I know you can both show us.

My challenge
was executing a lot of pieces.

We have eight pieces,
and I did seven of them.

That's a lot.

[crying] This is my dream, like...

[uneasy music playing]

[crying] This is what I've always wanted.
[inhales]

You know, it's not about your talent,
because you're talented.

It's just that when there is a collab,
it's about listening to each other

and find the right balance.

I just have so much to show you guys.

We know. We know.

Well, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Thank you.

[uneasy music continues]

[Gigi] He chose to work with James.

He knows James can't sew as well as him,
and he still chose him.

How'd it go?

Sorry.

-We got roasted.
-[Megan] Sorry.

If he wanted someone
that was gonna do equal work,

he should have chose Bao.

[sighs]

I think our clear top two teams
are Bao and Desyrée...

-[Olivier] Mm-hmm.
-[Gigi] ...and Nigel and Amari.

I love the denim world.
I love the tweed world.

I think both of them nailed it.

I think they respect each other so much
in those two collaborations as well.

Okay, let's talk about
who is in the bottom.

We have Godoy and James,
and we have Deontré and Megan.

-I think it's clear.
-But is it...

-Don't you think so?
-No.

-Go on.
-Candyland was deeply problematic for me.

Those looks weren't even
in the same universe.

When you think about 11 hours of working,

the pink look,
it's easier than two corsets, in a way,

so I think the hard work is clear
that it's on Godoy and James,

but I don't think,
as a collab, it was better.

So I would say the pink collab
was better than that.

[Gigi] Coming out of the runway,

Godoy and James were my least favorite,

but when I saw them up close,

I don't know if Deontré and Megan's
has anything that I would buy.

I think that we all put on
an amazing collaboration.

Yep.

-We're in agreement?
-I agree.

[Olivier] Yeah. I agree.

-[sighs]
-[sighs]

Thank you guys so much
for being here with us.

I love you.

Olivier, we needed you for this.
Thank you so much.

[both smooch]

-We have to do the hard part now.
-[Gabriella] Good luck.

-[Tan] Thank you.
-Fly safe.

[Gabriella] Bye.

Whoa. Ready?

[energizing music playing]

There were a lot of great collabs tonight,

but one team's work
stood out from the rest.

The winner of the collab challenge is...

-Nigel and Amari.
-[designers cheer]

-[designer] Nice. Nice.
-[designer 2] Yeah!

-Damn. I'm so proud of you, yo.
-You too.

For real, like... [laughs]

Nigel and Amari, we feel
that your collection was so unique

and could be sold
to so many different kinds of people,

and it was just a beautiful marriage
of designs.

Thank you, guys. Best friends forever?

[laughs] Definitely.

Unfortunately, we do have to say goodbye
to one team tonight,

and we have to send
both of those designers home.

[tense music playing]

This was so hard for us, you guys.
[voice breaking] Um...

We know how hard you worked, and

from the perspective
of this being our job, it's hard,

but also because we love you all
as people so much.

[tense music intensifies]

But one team does have to go home.

And the team
leaving the competition tonight is...

[Tan crying] Oh.

[sobbing]

["Dark Eye" by Ah2 playing]