Runway ‘bloke’ doing it for dad
A Nelson fashion designer appearing on Project Runway New Zealand isn’t in it for the fame and glory – he’s in it for his dad.
Matt Costello, 26, was accepted for the reality TV show after his girlfriend applied for him ‘‘randomly’’ while he was working at Waimea Nurseries after finishing a fashion degree at Southern Institute of Technology.
‘‘I had to do a video submission with the application, which I said, ‘OK, I’ll do that during the week some time’. Then I didn’t get round to it. I didn’t want to do it. I was a bit like, ‘There’s no way I’ll get in’.’’
Without a video to support his application, he was contacted by the show’s producers anyway. ‘‘So it was meant to happen.’’
Project Runway NZ follows 14 contestants battling to stay on the show through a series of fashion design tasks set and assessed by a panel of industry judges. The first episode aired on TVNZ on October 1.
Costello said he wasn’t used to making ‘‘pretty clothing’’, which was often what was required on the show.
‘‘I don’t make women’s clothing, I make clothing for unisex.’’
He launched his own label earlier this year, Stelloco, an anagram of Costello. The name pays tribute to his father, who died in November 2014.
Costello said it was his dad’s death that motivated him to follow his dreams.
He describes himself as a ‘‘nomad’’ in his younger years, ‘‘backpacking around and having a bit of a party life’’. His aunty in Nelson gave him the push he needed, and his dad was ‘‘the fire underneath me to never give up’’, he said.
‘‘It’s annoying that I’m kind of succeeding and he’s not here to see it. So I guess that’s what drives me.’’
‘‘I’m not like your Karen Walker pattern maker or your Auckland fashionista.’’ Matt Costello
Costello said he did have a moment during filming where a few tears were shed. ‘‘I made the camera lady cry as well.’’
On set with the other contestants, he was the underdog, he said.
‘‘Everyone was very sure of themselves. I was kind of the underdog for sure, just because of where I came from and who I am.
‘‘I’m not like your Karen Walker pattern maker or your Auckland fashionista. I’m the Kiwi bloke.’’
Win or lose is not on Costello’s agenda – his approach is ‘‘win or learn’’.
‘‘I kind of have my path of what I’m doing. I’ve always had my mind set on a goal with where I want my clothing line to go, and Project Runway’s just jumped up in my life, so I thought it would be a fun wee bypass while I’m already on a path that I know.’’
Meanwhile, his mum in Nelson was ‘‘probably more excited’’ than he was, he said.
‘‘She’s loving it, telling everybody that she meets – even the post lady – ‘My son’s on Project Runway’.’’