“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is known for its wildly imaginative runway looks, and a Chicago designer has helped bring many of them to life.
For the recent season of “All Stars,” Ethan Mundt constructed a scaly, cockroach-inspired garment from paper for Daya Betty.
Three years ago, he helped transform “Drag Race” winner Willow Pill into a four-headed doll in a silky, olive ensemble.
Now Mundt is taking those skills to season 21 of “Project Runway.” The show airs Thursday on the Disney-owned Freeform network, and will also stream on Disney+ and Hulu. Chicagoans can watch live at Roscoe’s Tavern, where Mundt and “Drag Race” star Brooke Lynn Hytes will host a premiere party.
Competing on “Drag Race” as Utica Queen in 2021, Mundt thrilled viewers with a colorful couture gown made from sleeping bags.
“This girl is intuitive about her fashion,” judge Carson Kressley said at the time. “That, I would see on any runway anywhere and people would go crazy for it.”
Kressley’s words were prescient. As the first-ever “Drag Race” alum to compete on the show, Mundt said his mission is to help open doors for other queens in the fashion industry.
“When people think of drag queens and drag designers, they think of the glitz, the glam and the over-the-top energy,” said the 30-year-old Uptown resident. “And this stereotype of it being too grand or too crazy for ready-to-wear fashion or ‘normal’ clothes is definitely in the air. But I firmly believe that drag inspires fashion. So it’s my goal on the show to bridge that gap between the drag community and the fashion world.”
Mentored by former “Project Runway” winner Christian Siriano, the 12 contestants will battle during weekly challenges judged by supermodel Heidi Klum, Elle Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia and Chicago-born image architect Law Roach.
Mundt said he is looking forward to showing both his versatility and signature style.
“There is a balance between a classic silhouette and avant-garde fabric choice and structure,” he said of his designs. “It’s got a little bit of an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ twist with an alien energy to it.”
Given his experience on “Drag Race,” Mundt is accustomed to competing in theme-driven challenges, receiving critiques and facing the regular threat of elimination. But “Project Runway” is a different creature, he said.
“You’re just sewing, sewing, sewing the whole time,” he said. “It’s a lot of manual labor. Whereas ‘Drag Race’ is about creating a character and showcasing the best version of yourself.”
On “Project Runway,” each judge brings a different energy, Mundt said.
Klum serves up the “fun sauce,” while Garcia oscillates between a “really kind” and a “really stern” approach, he said.
And Roach’s tack is “sharp, like in a harsh kind of way,” Mundt said. “He’s very pointed.”
But Mundt has been able to build community with his fellow contestants.
“They’re like my friends now,” he said. “We’ve all been making with each other since the filming of the show.”
Mundt has achieved a career milestone beyond the TV appearances. After finishing in sixth place on “Drag Race,” he presented his drag designs in an exhibition titled “Homecoming Queen” at the Rochester Art Center in his native state of Minnesota.
“All the work that I’d done in the world — I brought it all back home,” he said. “It was amazing.”
After growing up in the small town of Utica, Mundt studied art history, studio arts and theater costuming at Hamline University in St. Paul.
“I was busy,” he said, laughing. “It’s literally everything I’m doing now.”
Now living in Chicago, Mundt is part of a sisterhood of fellow drag queens who consult him for both designs and alterations. In addition to Daya Betty and Willow Pill, he has collaborated with Denali and Kahmora Hall, among others.
He said he is happy in Chicago, where there are “good people” and “good vibes.”
“I’ve been to LA, New York and Paris, and I love to visit, but I have found that if I do really good work where I’m at, people will come and find it.”