Victoria Cocieru

In the premiere of "Project Runway," the competition begins with some twists right out of the airport gate. With luggage still in tow, the designers are greeted at the iconic TWA Hotel at JFK airport ready to take flight with their first challenge: to create an innovative look inspired by humanity's continued push into space exploration. In a "Runway" first, these unfamiliar designers have to pair up and collaborate to make cohesive pieces that blow away the judges or they are out. Fans will also get a chance to own a piece of the designer creations when they vote on the outfits they like best.

It’s designers gone wild! In this week’s challenge they must create a fresh take on a timeless classic: animal prints. Taking inspiration from the upcoming film, Cats, the designers need to tame their prints into cool street style looks that can compete on the runway and in the Flash Sale challenge.

The designers are awakened by a surprise visitor who may or may not have arrived by chimney. Tis the season for holiday parties and the designers will be challenged to show their sense of spirit in the perfect party dress. They quickly learn that this isn't a conventional holiday affair... it's the unconventional materials challenge! Channeling their own holiday memories, the designers have two days to transform a winter wonderland into a wearable wonder, and then it's up to the judges to decide who's been naughty or nice.

Tie dye is back in a big way and the designers will need to create their own textiles to elevate the trend from casual to couture. In a twist that may feel more like a trick to the designers, it's an overnight challenge! The designers go a bit mad working into the wee hours trying to perfect their techniques and complete their high end looks.

In this week's challenge, the designers are given a chance to think about their family history and channel those stories and emotions into a look of their choosing. The stakes are high in this one day challenge, as the designers need to face and embrace who they are in order to succeed. Luckily for the designers, there's a surprise early on that will help boost their chances for success in this Flash Sale Challenge!

The iconic Cyndi Lauper is both inspiration and guest judge for this totally tubular team challenge. Split into two teams, the designers must create cohesive mini-collections. They need to collaborate to pay homage to Cyndi's 80's fashion trailblazing that brought underground punk into the pop culture while still giving the looks a totally awesome modern take. Sounds pretty straight forward until Christian throws out a mid-challenge twist that changes everything.