Project Runway Star Turned Houston Design Force to Hold His First Runway Show in 2 Years — Alan Gonzalez is Hot Again

The music is turned allllll the way up at Alan Gonzalez’s Houston studio and the energy is high. His first runway show in almost two years is just days away, and the fashion designer is blasting through his to-do list.  

Gonzalez squeezes a PaperCity interview in between recording voiceovers in his hosting duties for Project Runway Redemption, creating costuming for television shows (more on that later) and finalizing details of his 35-piece collection he’s showing this Saturday, September 18 at Momentum Indoor Climbing Silver Street (1401 Silver Street). The Resurface show is open to the public and will feature wearable pieces in vibrant colors, tailor made for Houston’s climate. 

“At the end of the day, Houston has one season — hot,” Gonzalez says. “I design for Houstonians. There are no coats or fur. It’s fun and flirty.” 

Previous Alantude collections have been heavy on gray, black and white, but Resurface is a departure from those muted tones. This collection is about coming up for air and embracing vibrancy and opportunity. It reflects an outlook Gonzalez is seeing among customers, despite the ongoing pandemic. 

“People are excited to dress up again, and after switching gears over the past year and a half, we just ran with it,” Gonzalez says. “I’m excited to see it on the runway. This is our now.”  

This moment includes an organic, oceanic feel where climbing walls, dotted with colorful holds, conjure up coral reefs. Show goers can expect an almost otherworldly experience at the indoor climbing gym. The runway jags around the rock formations so you’ll never see the full runway. Gonzalez promises that guests will be transported. 

“There will be four to five models on the runway at all times,” he says. “It’s going to be insane.” 

That bit of crazy is something Alan Gonzalez has become accustomed to over the past few years. A graduate of both the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and the fashion design program at HCC, Gonzalez dove headfirst into the local fashion scene. He showed his collections in Houston and Austin, gaining clients along the way.

He raised his profile even more on the 18th season of Project Runway, which aired in December 2019. Even though he left the show on the season’s third Sleigh the Runway episode, he struck a chord with viewers and Bravo execs alike. His charisma on the show and his high-energy, authentic Instagram posts led him to a different side of the camera.  

Gonzalez was chosen as the host of Project Runway Redemption, a spinoff show that brings back previously eliminated Project Runway designers, each vying for a $25,000 prize. 

“They reached out to me after seeing my Instagram videos and said they wanted me to be the host of the show,” Gonzalez tells PaperCity. “I definitely did not see that coming. It’s a completely different experience on this side of the camera. You see that it’s not personal, it’s fashion.” 

Even still, Gonzalez confesses he’s glad Elle magazine editor in chief and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia is the judge on Project Runway Redemption.

Gonzalez’s foray into television now extends beyond hosting and competing. This Houston force designed costumes for season one of Legendary on HBO Max and will be at it again for season two. He also signed on to design costumes for the upcoming show The Quest, airing on Disney+.

Houston Proud Alan Gonzalez 

And while Houston is home base for Alantude the brand, New York City has become a new place to thrive and grow for Alan Gonzalez, the designer. It’s been a journey for Gonzalez, who moved to Houston, from Mexico when he was three years old. He’s been open about his father’s deportation when he was 15, and how he and his family pushed ahead together. Considering his life’s circuitous path, Gonzalez takes a pause when asked what he would tell his younger self.

“Keep pushing, little Alan,” he says. “Keep going. Everything you want and more is out there. Just keep going.”   

The Alantude fall show is this Saturday, Sept. 18 at Momentum Indoor Climbing Silver Street, from 7:30 pm to 10 pm. Tickets are $50 for V.I.P. seating and $25 for general admission.