Klum returns for the revised 21st season of the hit fashion competition, which also includes familiar names Nina Garcia and Christian Siri...
Klum returns for the revised 21st season of the hit fashion competition, which also includes familiar names Nina Garcia and Christian Siriano, as well as a new judge, image architect Law Roach.
"It feels so good to be back — it feels like I never left," Klum tells PEOPLE in an exclusive cover interview ahead of her July 31 comeback date. "In the beginning, I was involved in pitching this notion to numerous television stations. They said, 'Why would we want to watch a TV show where people are sewing?' And I had to explain why it's thrilling, because that's what the fashion industry is all about."
"My fashion heart still races when I see something spectacular, an amazing garment, or someone doing something fresh. 'How did you come up with that?' I ask. "I'm still amazed by people and their talent," she says.
Klum began hosting and judging Project Runway in 2004, and remained on the show for 16 seasons before departing in 2017. She has hosted all 20 seasons of Germany's Next Top Model, which debuted in 2006, and continues to serve as host, judge, and co-producer. Then there were the 11 seasons she spent as a judge on America's Got Talent (plus several entrepreneurial projects and sponsorship deals).
"I'm a workaholic, a control freak," she says. "I've been really focused on the shows I've been doing and making sure that everything that comes out of them looks excellent. "I love what I do."
While Klum's return to the Project Runway rotation has been seamless, she is always impressed by the contestants' talent. Furthermore, the advent of Roach as a new judge has been entertaining to watch, as he offers up his high-fashion IQ alongside juicy drama.
"Law Roach is so entertaining. I don't think I've ever seen that much bleeping on Project Runway," she jokes. "And I'm not mad about it. He gets so excited about things, and I love it when people are enthusiastic about their work."
Klum refers to Siriano as her "Project Runway baby" when he won season 4 in 2007, catapulting him to design superstardom.
"It's always good to have a fresh eye, because you kind of fall in love with these designers and you know a little bit about them, but when someone new comes in and they say something about them, it's like, 'Oh, I didn't think about it that way,'" she recalls.
At the end of the day, Klum claims the program does not feel like work. "You often see these incredible designers standing there with glowing eyes. They want to break into this industry, and now is their chance. And I've always enjoyed being a part of that. I've always enjoyed discovering fantastic new talent.
Tim Gunn, who co-hosted Project Runway with Heidi Klum for her first season, is glaringly absent from the stage. Gunn was not asked to return for season 21, and despite Klum's efforts, he eventually declined to join the show in a minor role.
"Of course I miss him, he has been my television husband, and it all started with him," she tells me. "We just became this odd couple that people liked watching, and 17 years later, we've done so many amazing episodes together." So, of course, I will miss him."
In terms of the show's fashion, Klum remains "amazed" by talent. And, while the fashion world says one day you're in, the next you're out, Klum believes that aggressive style is always in.
"I usually prefer outfits that sing and dance before I put them on. "I'm not into snooze," Klum adds of her personal fashion choices. Her finest accessory? In a "good mood."
"To be happy and smiling. "I still believe this is our best accessory."
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