Interview with @NBCFashionStar Executive Producer, Rick Ringbakk

America is not going to be voting on this show. It’s a new of twist because the buyers are the ones making this huge investment, they’ll be leading the decision-making process and narrowing down the designers, and America will have the chance to buy the items immediately, if they see something that they like. We’re looking for somebody who’s got a fresh take and a unique vision on clothes that most Americans wear. Leather jackets, denim, t-shirts, swimwear, lingerie, that type of things, but they’ve got to have their own unique take on it. It’s got to be something that we haven’t seen before. And what we’re really looking for here is somebody that can become a full fledged household name brand. We are looking for designers who are designing for the mass market, designing denim, designing swimwear, designing lingerie, designing the types of things that real people wear. And we’re going to be pushing them not only to stretch their lines and their creations, but also we want to see how they present that brand to America. How do they present it in billboard advertising, how do they present in commercial advertising, and all of that is going to be woven into the show.

 

Tod Mesirow, Rick Ringbakk and Craig ArmstrongRick Ringbakk: Fashion Star
Emmy award-winning Executive Producer/Director | Creator of Fashion Star | Jamie Oliver’s – Food Revolution and Ben Silverman-The Biggest Loser, The Office, The Tudors
By: Daedrian McNaughton

Brands like Juicy, among others have become aggressive and very popular with creative marketing and fashion that appeal to the masses. What will this new star have to bring to create such an impact, and will there be a continued push to support the star after the show?

Rick Ringbakk: What we’re trying to do here, in the past I think that shows that are centered around fashion have really been really focused, specifically just on the design acumen. And what we’re really looking for here is somebody that can become a full fledged household name brand. So, we are looking for designers who are not necessarily just designing couture, but really also are designing for the mass market, designing denim, designing swimwear, designing lingerie, designing the types of things that real people wear. And we’re going to be pushing them not only to stretch their lines and their creations that, in terms of the apparel, but also we want to see how they present that brand to America. How do they present it in billboard advertising, how do they present in commercial advertising, and all of that is going to be woven into the show.

Why is Elle considered the perfect package for this show?

Rick Ringbakk: She’s the perfect package for this show. When we started thinking about who would be the kind of face and the voice to lead us on this, Elle was our first choice. She was the first person we went to. Not only does everybody know Elle Macpherson as an icon associated with fashion and with the modeling and fashion world. She has done exactly what we’re going to be asking these designers to do herself, in terms of building a full-fledged brand that is now global and that permeates kind of every aspect of the market. And that’s what we’re looking to try and do here, we’re looking to try and find some really exciting new designers who have an incredible vision and give them the opportunity to get their lines out on a big level. And then, in terms of the first question you asked, is there an aftermarket? One of the big things about this show, the big difference of this show and everything we’ve seen before is that every week these designers are going to be presenting their lines to three of the largest retailers in the country. And those retailers are there ready to start purchasing the items that they see on the show on the spot. And they’ll be the ones who are narrowing down the contestant pool down to the winner, to the Fashion Star, and that person is going to receive a multi-million dollar contract that will see their wear is landing in all three of these retailers. We’re very, very cognizant of the need for an afterlife and the whole show is built towards giving the designer the chance to really become something far beyond the show.

nbc fashion star

With the viewers being able to buy the designs at home each week, how does that tie into the voting to keep the designers around?

Rick Ringbakk: Sure. That’s one of the things that’s really special about this show is we’re going to be seeing these designs being presented in big exciting kind of presentations. And these buyers are going to be choosing the items they like from the very first week forward, buying these items, and then we are going to be manufacturing those items and making them available to America immediately following the show, and it’ll be in the stores the next day. There’s a pretty lengthy runup time that we need to actually manufacture the clothes and get them distributed to the stores. So, America is not going to be voting on this show. It’s a new of twist on that – the buyers because they are the ones making this huge investment, will be making – they’ll be leading the decision-making process and narrowing down the designers, and America will have the chance to buy the items immediately if they see something that they like.

The show focuses on the importance of brands and creating a lifestyle brand for consumers with fashion. In regards to the casting what are you looking for with regards to the designers own personal brand or their own personality brand?

Rick Ringbakk: We’re looking at designers that are from sort of all levels. It could be somebody who has owned their own boutique for years and has been successfully selling their wears on a small level. It could be a soccer mom who’s been working two jobs and secretly designing an amazing swimwear line in her basement that this is the opportunity that she’s going to have for that dream to come true, and to finally see her vision realized. In terms of the people themselves and what we’re looking for, we’re looking for somebody that’s got something that is new, something that is different, and something that we want to see and that we want to wear. Again, in the past a lot of the fashion shows have really focused on the kinds of clothes that very few of us will ever put on, the $10,000 red carpet dress. We’re looking for somebody who’s got a fresh take and a unique vision on clothes that are for the clothes that most Americans wear. Leather jackets, denim, t-shirts, swimwear, lingerie, that type of things, but they’ve got to have their own unique take on it. It’s got to be something that we haven’t seen before.

Are there any green or sustainable design challenges or elements that are going to be present in the show?

Rick Ringbakk: Green design is at the forefront of a lot of trends that are happening right now, and it is something that we are absolutely looking at. And as we get deeper into this with our retail partners who are going to be very much a part of what this whole process is going to be for the designers because they’re the ones that ultimately are having to make a decision to make a major, major big money commitment behind one of these designers, and they’re deciding to buy clothes along the way. And it’s something that we will probably see on the show.

 

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