Keith Michael
Encyclopedia
Keith Michael is an American
fashion designer based in New York City
. Michael participated in the third season
of American reality show Project Runway
.
as an illustration
major, then turned his attention toward photography. He took a job as a receptionist at a photography studio, and was soon promoted to stylist, assistant photographer, and finally, photographer. His photography has been published in W
, ELLE
, GQ and BlackBook
magazines. He has his own line of men & women's clothing which has been described as "natural, organic and lovingly hand finished." (Andrea Cusick of Nylon
Magazine). He has also been honored with a nomination for "Best Newcomer of the Year" by Sportswear International. Michael's distinctive tightly tailored clothes are sold in high end boutiques in Los Angeles
and New York City
.
; a women's wear design reality television
show competition on the Bravo Network. Michael came out as a front-runner from the beginning by winning the first challenge and receiving immunity
for the second. Michael was also told on air by show host, Heidi Klum
, that he might have won the third challenge, but did not because he did not fully complete the task (the third challenge was to make an outfit for a woman and her dog; Michael refused to make a dog outfit). Michael was made the leader of his team in the fourth challenge based on his sketches for the challenge.
, the contracts which are signed by the designers upon qualifying for Project Runway clearly state that pattern-making books, fashion how-to books, fashion magazines or other such materials are not allowed anywhere on the production. Designers are also not allowed to leave the production without being accompanied by a member of the production staff, to ensure that they do not gain even temporary access to such materials, outside assistance or suggestions, or materials for their challenge garments not acquired according to the challenge parameters.
During the episode "Reap What You Sew", it was revealed that designer Kayne Gillaspie discovered pattern-making books in Keith's room of their Atlas apartment. Upon consultation with other designers in the apartment, he brought the books to the attention of the producers. When other designers found out about the pattern book discovery there was a confrontation between the designers over the presence of the books, and Michael left the production for several hours, during which time, he accessed the Internet when he e-mailed one of the producers.
Upon consideration of the presence of the pattern making books and Michael's disappearance, he was dismissed from the show mid-challenge.
A) there was no disclaimer in the contract stating that pattern-making books were illegal in the context of the competition.
B) the books were taken from him, and later returned to his room by an unknown person.
When the books were discovered by the other designers, there was apparently an off-screen altercation between the designers prior to the producers making any kind of decision on the issue. Keith stated that he informed a production assistant that he was leaving pursuant to the confrontation and was allowed to leave unescorted. He then went to his boyfriend's apartment and used the Internet to e-mail a few people. He stated in his exit interview that he never used the pattern books 'to give myself an unfair advantage'. This statement was coupled with a scene of Keith persuading the staff at MOOD to give his team a substantial discount (reducing a $98 cost to $80) on fabrics so that they could purchase other materials for the challenge.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion designer based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Michael participated in the third season
Project Runway (season 3)
Project Runway Season 3 was the third season of Project Runway, Bravo's successful reality competition for fashion designers. The third season of the show, with Heidi Klum returning as the host and Tim Gunn as the designers' guide, began airing on July 12, 2006...
of American reality show Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
.
Education & Career
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Keith Michael attended the Pratt InstitutePratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
as an illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
major, then turned his attention toward photography. He took a job as a receptionist at a photography studio, and was soon promoted to stylist, assistant photographer, and finally, photographer. His photography has been published in W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
, ELLE
Elle
Elle may refer to:*Elle, Central African Republic*Elle , a fashion publication*Ellé, a river in France*Elle , a female given name*Elle , a Sri Lankan game similar to baseball*Ælle of Sussex, a Saxon king...
, GQ and BlackBook
BlackBook Magazine
BlackBook is an American arts and culture magazine published 8x a year. Founded in 1996 as a quarterly publication, BlackBook has now expanded to a circulation of roughly 150,000. The magazine covers topics ranging from art, music, and literature to politics, popular culture, and travel guides....
magazines. He has his own line of men & women's clothing which has been described as "natural, organic and lovingly hand finished." (Andrea Cusick of Nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
Magazine). He has also been honored with a nomination for "Best Newcomer of the Year" by Sportswear International. Michael's distinctive tightly tailored clothes are sold in high end boutiques in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Project Runway
Despite having a design focus on men's wear, Michael auditioned for Project RunwayProject Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
; a women's wear design reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show competition on the Bravo Network. Michael came out as a front-runner from the beginning by winning the first challenge and receiving immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
for the second. Michael was also told on air by show host, Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum
Heidi Samuel , better known by her birth name Heidi Klum, is a German model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship...
, that he might have won the third challenge, but did not because he did not fully complete the task (the third challenge was to make an outfit for a woman and her dog; Michael refused to make a dog outfit). Michael was made the leader of his team in the fourth challenge based on his sketches for the challenge.
Disqualification
According to Tim GunnTim Gunn
Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative...
, the contracts which are signed by the designers upon qualifying for Project Runway clearly state that pattern-making books, fashion how-to books, fashion magazines or other such materials are not allowed anywhere on the production. Designers are also not allowed to leave the production without being accompanied by a member of the production staff, to ensure that they do not gain even temporary access to such materials, outside assistance or suggestions, or materials for their challenge garments not acquired according to the challenge parameters.
During the episode "Reap What You Sew", it was revealed that designer Kayne Gillaspie discovered pattern-making books in Keith's room of their Atlas apartment. Upon consultation with other designers in the apartment, he brought the books to the attention of the producers. When other designers found out about the pattern book discovery there was a confrontation between the designers over the presence of the books, and Michael left the production for several hours, during which time, he accessed the Internet when he e-mailed one of the producers.
Upon consideration of the presence of the pattern making books and Michael's disappearance, he was dismissed from the show mid-challenge.
Keith's side
Keith's version of the events is that:A) there was no disclaimer in the contract stating that pattern-making books were illegal in the context of the competition.
B) the books were taken from him, and later returned to his room by an unknown person.
When the books were discovered by the other designers, there was apparently an off-screen altercation between the designers prior to the producers making any kind of decision on the issue. Keith stated that he informed a production assistant that he was leaving pursuant to the confrontation and was allowed to leave unescorted. He then went to his boyfriend's apartment and used the Internet to e-mail a few people. He stated in his exit interview that he never used the pattern books 'to give myself an unfair advantage'. This statement was coupled with a scene of Keith persuading the staff at MOOD to give his team a substantial discount (reducing a $98 cost to $80) on fabrics so that they could purchase other materials for the challenge.