Fashion Star

Fashion Star brings a new reality to fashion design competition by placing contestants in front of the actual buyers from Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M stores. Rather than focus on cutting edge design or innovation, this NBC show challenges the participants to serve the retail market rather than fashion elite. The contestants must create clothing under time, material or theme restrictions and then present it to apparel designers for purchase. If a designer does not receive a bid from the buyers, the design contestants face elimination.

Supermodel Elle Macpherson hosts the show, and brings her fashion experience as a model as well as her experience running a multi-million dollar lingerie line. The contestants also have the advice of three mentor/judges: entertainer Jessica Simpson, reality TV star Nicole Richie and top fashion designer John Varvatos. Both Simpson and Richie have successfully run their own fashion lines, and Varvatos worked with Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein before beginning his own fashion house. The competing designers have the opportunity to get practical advice and feedback as they develop their creations from mentors who have experienced the pressure of selling to the public. After the store buyers make their selections, the mentors also have the power to save one contestant that has not sold a product from elimination.

Caprice Willard from Macy's, Terron Schaefer for Saks Fifth Avenue and Nicole Christie from H&M stores represent their retail stores by choosing which designs to buy and then selecting the eliminated contestant. The designers learn to set prices for their clothes, make a professional presentation of their work and also learn how retailers make the decisions on purchases for their particular customer base. After each episode airs, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M stores offer the merchandise for sale to the audience.

Fashion Star premiered in the Spring of 2012 on NBC. The network announced the show will return for a second season in 2013.