RuPaul’s Drag Race has officially entered the Project Runway workroom.
With the reveal of a new slate of competitors Wednesday, Drag Race alum Utica Queen has officially joined the cast of Project Runway season 21. On the fashion show, Utica will go by Ethan Mundt, his real name, marking the first-ever crossover between the two beloved reality TV shows.
The Freeform series revealed its batch of 12 fashion designers, including two former Project Runway contestants, season 7’s Jesus Estrada and season 19’s Caycee Black. The rest of the cast includes Alex Foxworth, Angelo Rosa, Antonio Estrada (Jesus’ twin), Belania Daley, Joan Madison, Joseph McRae, Madeline Malenfant, Veejay Floresca and Yuchen Han.
Mundt said of his pivot to Project Runway, “Walking into the Project Runway workroom felt like stepping into a dream, but even more surreal was walking in wearing something that carries the spirit of Drag with me.”
“This moment marks the first ever Drag Race crossover onto Project Runway, and that’s not lost on me. It’s more than a look, it’s a symbol,” Mundt wrote on Instagram. “A symbol of how far our art form has come, of how the worlds of fashion and drag continue to grow, influence, and uplift each other.”
Outside of its fresh slate of competitors, it was also revealed that Zendaya’s stylist (and Drag Race rotating judge) Law Roach would be joining the judge’s panel alongside Nina Garcia, with previously announced returning host Heidi Klum and mentor Christian Siriano. Season 21, too, sports a star-studded guest judge list, notably including fellow fashion reality TV staple Tyra Banks.
Additional guest judges include Real Housewives of New York’s Jenna Lyons, Nikki Glaser, Michael Kors, Sofia Vergara and Joan Smalls, among others.
Season 21 of Project Runway will premiere via Freeform on July 31 and will be available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
