Who

The oft-imitated Gunn is the host of Bravo's Project Runway and chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne.

Backstory

The son of an assistant director of the FBI, Gunn grew up an introverted, fey kid with a stutter and says he had a miserable childhood, switching schools a dozen times to escape bullying. He went to college at Yale, where he studied English literature and sculpture, before going to DC's Corcoran School of Art, where he stayed on to teach and work in the school's admissions department. In 1983, he joined the Parsons School of Design as an admissions director; he later moved to teaching and was appointed chairperson of the school's department of fashion design in August 2000. At Parsons, he was credited with making over a curriculum that hadn't budged in 50 years, adding classes on fashion history and the unglamorous realities of fashion retail.

In 2004, Bravo executives came calling, asking him to become a consultant on a new reality show called Project Runway. By the time the show premiered in December 2004, Gunn had found his way in front of the camera, serving as mentor and voice of reason to the show's contestants, and lending the show a shot of academic credibility. Now four seasons old, Project Runway has been a ratings bonanza for Bravo and made Gunn a household name.

Of note

Gunn's known for his simultaneously supportive and bluntly critical handling of Project Runway contestants, his catchphrase "make it work," and his much-mimicked inflection. Having morphed into an unlikely celebrity thanks to Runway, in March 2007 he ankled Parsons to take a top job at Liz Claiborne, the holding company responsible for more than 45 fashion brands including Lucky jeans, Kate Spade, and Juicy Couture. Gunn has been tasked with reversing the company's dismal economic fortunes—profits fell 20 percent in 2006—injecting life into the dowdy flagship brand, and playing daddy (Liz Claiborne execs call it "creative dean") to the 350 designers employed by the company. Meanwhile, his television presence continues to expand. On top of Project Runway, he's now hosting his own reality makeover show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. The program grew out of his first book, Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, which came out in early 2007.

Namedrop

Gunn has worked with a bevy of boldface names thanks to Project Runway. The show was conceived by Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, who brought the idea to uber-publicist Desiree Gruber and her client, Heidi Klum. Jeff Gaspin green-lit the show, and helped bring on Michael Kors and Nina Garcia as judges. Over the course of four seasons they've managed to bring in an army of high-powered guest judges, including Cynthia Rowley, James Mischka, Mark Badgley, Patricia Field, Catherine Malandrino, Zac Posen, Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang, Parker Posey, Betsey Johnson, and Fern Mallis.

Personal

Gunn is single and lives in the London Terrace building in Chelsea.

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