Jude Mikulencak, a 23-year-old New Orleans native who hand-stitches suits in a Brooklyn tailor shop, is one of the designers competing on the latest season of Project Runway, which returned July 9 on Freeform and streams shortly after on Hulu and Disney+.
From paint to patternmaking
Mikulencak’s approach to clothing is artisanal and meticulous. He spends three to four days a week, 10 to 12 hours each day, at an old-fashioned tailoring shop in Brooklyn, working with century-old sewing machines and hand-stitching garments from rolls of fabric. His aesthetic leans toward sleek, minimalist lines and sharply tailored fits — a sensibility he honed after leaving painting behind during high school.
Raised in New Orleans, Mikulencak attended Holy Name of Jesus School and later a specialized arts program at The Willow High School. While at an Art Institute of Chicago summer camp as a high school sophomore, he found himself drawn away from wet paint and long drying times toward the energy of students in fashion.
"I came home, I bought a home sewing machine and some fabric and just started making clothes. I think from that day I have not turned back."
Path to television
A talent agency scout discovered Mikulencak on Instagram last November and recommended him to the long-running reality competition. In April, after signing a nondisclosure agreement and with limited contact with family and friends, he was picked up in a black van from his Brooklyn apartment to join Season 22, entering a field of 23 designers vying on the show hosted by Heidi Klum.
- Age: 23
- Hometown: New Orleans
- Season: 22 of Project Runway
- Premiere: July 9 on Freeform; streaming on Hulu and Disney+
Artistry and legacy
Mikulencak’s surname reflects a family line connected to the Czech Republic; his grandfather immigrated to Houston. Photographs supplied with coverage show him tailoring a black coat and measuring fits on models, evidence of a practice rooted in both technical skill and a painter’s attention to detail. The transition from portrait painting to garment construction is central to his development as a designer — a move he has described as decisive and irrevocable.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Workplace | Antiquated tailor shop in Brooklyn |
| Techniques | Hand-stitching; century-old sewing machines; bespoke measuring |
| Television | Project Runway Season 22; hosted by Heidi Klum |
His appearance on a national platform like Project Runway places a traditionally private craft — bespoke tailoring — into a mainstream, televised context. For viewers, Mikulencak represents a new generation of designers who learned online and in community studios, bridging artisanal practice with social-media visibility that can lead to opportunities beyond the workshop.
As the season unfolds and viewers watch challenges and runway reveals, Mikulencak’s training in precise tailoring will be tested against time-limited tasks and the show’s demand for concept-driven, often theatrical designs. How he negotiates the tension between meticulous construction and the accelerated pace of reality-competition television will shape both his trajectory and how audiences perceive skilled sartorial work on a national stage.
