Written by Emma McCarthy
The Finale
Let’s be real: the right person won. Veejay Floresca didn’t just walk away with $200,000, a CFDA mentorship, and an Elle spread — she rewrote Project Runway history as the first Filipino-American trans woman of color to win the flagship series. And honey, she didn’t just win, she stirred the pot all season.
In the finale, Veejay faced off against Jesus Estrada and Ethan Mundt — better known to Drag Race fans as Utica. When the last look hit the runway, the judges made their call: Nina Garcia, Law Roach, and Christian Siriano unanimously crowned Veejay as Season 21’s top designer.
Ethan’s all-black, goth-inspired collection was doomed from the start. The judges historically have never loved all-black collections. Even though black silhouettes are a signature in Ethan’s gothic drag style, repeating it across multiple challenges made the finale look safe, predictable, and not outside-the-box.
Jesus fared better with his all-pink presentation, but only the opening and closing looks landed, leaving the middle three flat and forgettable.
Veejay, on the other hand, delivered a masterclass in cohesion. From handmade chainmail to streetwear to evening gowns, her line moved seamlessly between day and night while maintaining a singular vision. The design felt polished with power and purpose — a rare collection that managed to be both versatile and unified. It was joy, it was drama, it was everything the runway wanted.
From beauty queen roots to a second runner-up finish on Project Runway Philippines Season 1 and a near win on Dress My Tour, Veejay’s seasoned history with reality TV competitions finally culminated in a well-deserved first-place crown.
JESUS ESTRADA, VEEJAY FLORESCA, ETHAN MUNDT
Blueprints, Betrayals, and Beef
Following the drama, twists, and eliminations throughout the season since the beginning, this writer’s opinion of Veejay remains much the same to initial impressions of her shared in this earlier editorial Project Runway Season 21 Premiere Review: The Return of Heidi Lives Up to the Hype. The “Villain Edit” between the twins, Antonio and Jesus, and Veejay initially felt like an intentional production plant idea to garner more viewers through dramatics, but over time demonstrated a genuine clash between their personalities. The personal beef felt overdone, exhausting, uncomfortable, unprofessional, messy… shall we go on?
That being said, knowing that television feeds on drama, Veejay played the long game with a blueprint. Not only was Veejay notorious as a pot-stirrer, or in modern terms a “rage-baiter,” to get in the heads of her opponents, her brand of elegance was polished silhouettes, chainmail details, and eveningwear that served elegance with an edge, proving she could be classy and cutthroat.
When Utica quipped, “I think Veejay is smart, she knows how to play the game,” we knew exactly what he meant: Veejay kept her scissors sharp for both fabric and fellow contestants — some heated examples most prominent in Veejay’s rivalry with “the twins.”
The moment Veejay snatched Jesus’ model in the finale — the one he’d built chemistry with — like a clearance rack at Saks? It wasn’t just a casting choice, it was a calculated betrayal that sent him spiraling off his game… and yes, it worked.
Was it betrayal? Maybe. Was it a strategy? Absolutely. And let’s not forget: in fashion, loyalty is cute, but you can’t always make friends if you want to win.
In one of the spiciest critiques of the season, during a tense workroom moment, Veejay openly aired her frustrations with fellow designer Jesus, declaring that he and his twin Antonio were anything but “kind and humble.” The dig wasn’t just about design — it was character assassination, served piping hot. By questioning not only their collections but their attitudes, Veejay turned a routine critique into a runway takedown, fueling the season’s fiercest rivalry and reminding everyone that on Project Runway, fabric isn’t the only thing being cut.
Producing Episodes Like Fast Fashion: Was It Too Rushed?
As Project Runway is back on Freeform, the show itself feels like it got tossed in the “quick wash” spin cycle. With episodes trimmed down to just 42 minutes (an hour long with commercials), there’s barely room to showcase hair, makeup, the sewing process, or Siriano’s mentorship.
Siriano’s on-screen guidance is reduced to a few fleeting seconds of feedback before the runway, leaving viewers with little insight into his expert perspective. The audience relies on expert commentary to evaluate each outfit to feel a part of the parasocial conversation. The hair and makeup teams feel largely absent, which feels like a strange choice since celebrity megastylist Law Roach is on the judging panel.
The cliffhangers, dropped at the start of each new episode, were meant to build tension, but instead they robbed the show of its payoff. After each hard-fought challenge, the lack of closure feels less like suspense, but instead more like being left on read: all tease, no reward.
While these critiques are minor, the production’s focus on drama — like the tension between Veejay and the twins — often comes at the expense of the design process. Viewers may tune out the fashion itself and instead catch the season’s highlights as bite-sized dramas on TikTok or Instagram.
If future seasons stick to 40-minute episodes, production should recognize that viewers might skip the “next-episode” cliffhanger routine and just binge the season to get a full, satisfying arc for each designer. That approach risks undermining weekly ratings, which Project Runway needs to stay on air. Thankfully, this season, the contestants’ drama kept the conversation alive on social media, with Law Roach serving the hilarious spice and Heidi Klum delivering a hit of nostalgia.
The Verdict
Veejay’s win was historic, deserved and deliciously shady. Filipino excellence? Check. Trans representation? Check. A masterclass in sewing and scheming? Double check. Veejay didn’t just make clothes — she stitched her name into Project Runway legacy, one petty model swap and polished hemline at a time.
Fashion, darling, has always been about risk. And this season, Veejay proved that sometimes, you have to spill a little tea on the runway to secure your crown.
