Update: Project Runway designer Kara Janx welcomes daughter Dylan
Update: Kara’s daughter’s name is Dylan. A recent photo can be seen at Us Weekly.
Update November 16th: It’s a girl! Kara delivered a 6 lb, 14 oz daughter on Monday, November 12th. A name or length has not been released. Congrats to Kara and Sharone!
Originally published November 6th: Fashion designer Kara Janx does not want to go to her birthing class. As one of the four finalists from season two of Bravo’s Emmy-nominated reality show Project Runway, Kara is uber busy these days with her ultra popular clothing line. And her latest project, her first baby, is on the way and due this month. Before dashing off to the dreaded birthing class (so far, she’s missed half of them), Kara talked with CBB about babies, Barbie’s and being on Project Runway.
Photography: Gabbeli Photography (www.gabbeliphotography.com)
Hair & Makeup: Douglas Martucci
Click below for the interview and photos.
Your accent is so lovely. Where are you from?
I was born in South Africa. I left home to come to New York in 1997. I wanted to pursue whatever design career was waiting for me here.
What was life like growing up in South Africa?
My childhood was very grounded. It was an earthy, beautiful, naïve upbringing. There was not a lot of television, so we didn’t have much of a reference to pop culture.
Were you always interested in design?
I’ve always loved art. I took art lessons, and also studied modern dance and theater. I went to a specialized high school for art and then went on to learn architecture.
I’ve never been the kind of person who knew I wanted to be a fashion designer since I was two years-old. For me, it was more of an evolutionary process. Along the way, I’ve been finding my niche in the design world.
What were your first fashion designs?
I used to make Barbie clothes. They were simply pieces of fabric sewn at the back. My mom was always sewing, so I did, too.
After I came to New York, I actually worked as an architect at a prestigious firm. At nighttime, I took classes at F.I.T. in pattern-making, sewing and draping.
Did your background in architecture help shape your design work?
Architecture is an extremely disciplined art form. It’s very rigorous and very precise. You get a strong sense of color, proportion and space working as an architect.
Once you have the training as an architect, though, it can be a springboard on which to build another design. Eventually, I began working part-time at the firm and then the fashion just completely took over.
What were the first designs in your collection like?
I started by creating panties with silkscreen on them. It was very quirky at the time, and the stores really responded to it. I would put an X symbol on the panties and shirts; I hoped that the X would become a signature for my name and the label. I thought everyone around the world would recognize the X and say, “Of course, that’s Kara Janx’s label!”
I was shopping my own line to various stores and boutiques. When you’re first starting out, you’re ruthless and so passionate about your work, that it’s all you think about. If a store buys 5 pieces, you’re like “Yay!” Everything pushes you to the next level, to the next big thing.
And the next big thing was Project Runway.
I just knew that I needed to be on the show. And in some way, I knew that I was going to be on the show, but not in a cocky, self-important sort of way. I just felt it. I went to the auditions in the afternoon, and interviewed with Tim Gunn, Austin Scarlett (from season one) and a person from GenArt. When I left the interview, I called my then-boyfriend (now husband!), Sharone, and said, “I got it.”
It was an amazing experience. With our particular season we were all about encouraging one another. We had to support each other. You’re not eating or sleeping properly, and you’re doing two-hour interviews every day. By week three, you’re a basket case, and you don’t even think about the long-term. You forget that there’s a film crew in front of you, recording every moment, and you don’t think about how you’re going to be perceived.
The viewers don’t get to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff, but it’s to be expected. I had a very good friendship with Nick Verrios but you don’t see that on the show. Most often, you see the fundamental stuff. I suppose all these things make for a better onscreen Kara!
Let’s talk about the infamous “hat incident”.
I know! (Laughs). It was the Barbie challenge, and as we were leaving Toys R Us, the hat from my Barbie doll fell off. The producers told me to go back and get it, that I was going to need it. Somehow it turned into me looking like crazy for that dumb hat.
There’s an interesting story about you and Project Runway.
Yes, I had actually lived at the Atlas apartments prior to taping the show. Sharone and I had been living there and we moved out to live in our current apartment. When Project Runway started, I moved back into the Atlas…and right back into 21H, my old apartment!
It was so surreal to move back into the same apartment, but this time sharing it with three other designers. The good thing was that I knew where everything was in the apartment, right down to the electrical outlets!
Now is it true that the final four designers show their collections at Bryant Park?
It’s become known. On the show, it’s supposed to be only three designers, but with the time frame in which the show is aired on TV, the producers don’t want to give away who the final three are. So they let the final four show, and since I was the 4th designer, I got to show at Bryant Park. It’s bittersweet because even though I was showing, I had no chance of winning.
How did you meet your husband, Sharone?
Sharone lived down the hall from me when I came to NYC. I borrowed some milk, or something quaint like that. We’ve been together for 4 years. We got married in January 2007 in South Africa. It was a perfect, intimate and beautiful wedding.
And now you’re expecting your first baby.
I am so excited about the baby! We do not know the sex yet. We want it to be a surprise. I hope the baby has red hair, like Sharone!
What are your plans for your collection?
I’m working on Fall 2008 right now, having just completed Spring/Summer ‘08. I’ve been doing research and looking at fabrics.
The line has grown and evolved so much from when I first started; it has over 70 pieces and 20 silhouettes. The kimono is still one of my signature styles, and the line still has the same beauty and sensibility as before.
The doors have really burst open, and it’s such an exciting time. Everything is happening just as it should.
For more information on Kara and her clothing line, please visit www.karajanx.com.
Thanks to CBB readers Sarah and Olivia for the baby news.
