RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Ethan Mundt has continued to pursue his fashion dreams on reality television. As one of the 12 designers currently competing in Project Runway Season 21, he is continuing to showcase his impressive designing skills to the world.
Reality Tea got the chance to sit down with Ethan to chat about the current season, his favorite look, and trailblazing for the queer community. Also, we discussed Ethan’s journey separating himself from his drag persona Utica Queen in his fashion career. Here’s what Ethan revealed…
Ethan pitches these RuPaul’s Drag Race alums for Project Runway
By joining the Season 21 cast, Ethan has made history as the first Rugirl contestant in Project Runway history. Making this pivotal moment of representation for the LGBTQIA+ community is not something that he takes lightly.
“I feel really blessed to be a part of this season and I’m really gagged that they have not had a queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race on this show yet,” Ethan remarks. “This show has such incredible designers and you’re creating incredible moments on that show, I’m gagged that this moment hasn’t happened before.”
And now that he has paved the way, he would like to see more RuPaul’s Drag Race alums enter the work room. Some of the former cast members he named were Nymphia Wind, Q, and Raja. “These incredible designers are making things at an exponential level, so I would love to see them shine just as brightly as I am.”
Ethan finds the differences between RuPaul’s Drag Race and Project Runway
Coming from not only reality television experience, but another show dedicated to hardworking entertainers, Ethan did have some experience coming into Project Runway. Nonetheless, he confessed that filming this series versus filming Drag Race were two totally different experiences.
“I will say, Project Runway was much more taxing on the body, but Drag Race was much more taxing mentally. They are their own different beasts,” he revealed.
“Drag Race is its own chaos. Just … insane. I think going into a show that is bent on creation and making the vibes while you’re there, is its own beast. This season of Project Runway is so dramatic and crazy and the judges are cutthroat, but being able to just make for hours and hours and hours there on the show was much easier than going into the crazy that is RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Trying to find a balance from drag persona Utica Queen
Unlike Drag Race, this is the first time Ethan has been on television representing himself, not Utica. Going out of his comfort zone and putting his fan-favorite drag persona in the background was not an easy transition.
“I found that my sentiment for entertainment, my presence, my identity, is really rooted in Utica,” he confessed. “Like, I created her to save me as a person. She helped me be more confident. She helped me express myself in ways that I never thought I could. Utica became the conduit to my fashion.”
Speaking of Utica, she has made an appearance on the season. After the third challenge was hitting a low point, Ethan transformed into Utica to uplift his team’s spirits. Judge and celebrity stylist Law Roach later criticized him, remarking that it would’ve been better for Ethan to represent himself, not Utica. Ethan later countered that it was actually production who requested Ethan to be in drag.
“They cast me as Utica the designer and to bring out Ethan throughout the show,” he argued. “So … I think they played some TV magic for me being up there so strong and mighty in my armor and then to just tear me down in a way that they were trying to be constructive. But, I think there’s a difference in critiquing the clothes and the maker of the clothes, rather than critiquing the identity. And that’s something I really found to be difficult on that particular episode because I showed up as Utica to inspire and get the designers on my team on the same page. But you know what? If I’m going to crash and burn, at least I looked fabulous.”
Ethan already has a favorite look he’s designed this season
After grabbing the first win of the season, Ethan quickly proved that he was one to beat. Some of his initial on-screen worries was the idea of his designs being too avant-garde, based on his drag experience. A concern that he quickly overcame.
“I’m really proud of myself for not only coming out the gate really strong, but people expect that the work is going to be too loud, too grand. I’m really proud that I’ve been able to find that accessibility, in a way. To really make a mark in this competition and put drag and fashion together, to marry the two, I think I’m doing a fabulous job,” he reflected.
“If I was going to pick my favorite, I really like the first look. I love the cape, I love the villains look so much. That’s my personal favorite. But I will give the jumpsuit its flowers because never in a million years would I think that I would eat in athleisure that hard. It has really given me inspiration to create a line in the future that has that sensibility where it’s grand, it’s sophisticated, it’s simple, and it’s cool.”
Ethan is happy to not be involved in the main drama
Season 21 of Project Runway has been bringing nonstop moments of drama. From the contestants to the judges, there is a lot of feuds growing. One of the only people, though, who has managed to stay out of the chaos is Ethan.
“I’m kind of like a Switzerland in this show,” he remarks. “Which, I think is a big benefit for this particular cast because they’re such charged characters. I really think that I got along with the whole cast, pretty much. I think that I have this special ability to be outside the drama, but still be a pivotal character in this show.
One of the biggest stems of chaos this season is coming from the Estrada twins. Close-knit and supportive to one another, some co-stars find their ability to help each other to be unfair.
“I really enjoy the twins,” Ethan defended. “But I think I might be biased because they’re really good to me on the show. They are in each other’s corner, but they do their own work. They inspire each other, but they’re also competing so they have a good balance. I think they are both killing it in their own regards.”
We are rooting for you Ethan!
Project Runway airs every Thursday on Freeform, and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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