Jack Mackenroth

JACK MACKENROTH
PROJECT RUNWAY

JACK MACKENROTH
By Andrew Moreno
Posted: November 2007

We saw it all: Fashion, Fun, and

Fierce

designers. This Project

Runway, as Tim Gunn stated, is

perhaps the most well put together

ensemble

of contestants. There was

one designer in particular that we

could not help but notice; Jack

Mackenroth. Mackenroth debuted

with his fun and sophisticated black

and white dress.

As Mackenroth states in our

interview, we can expect big time

drama and dynamic fashion from this

Ivy League graduate.

Moreno: Where did you grow up?

Mackenroth: I grew up in Bellevue, Washington, outside of Seattle; Newport Hills to
be exact.

Moreno: Describe your childhood in one word.

Mackenroth: Creative

Moreno: What did you parents do?

Mackenroth: My mother is a registered nurse at Harborview Medical Center.

Moreno: What was your first job?

Mackenroth: My first jobs was life guarding during the summer and cleaning office
buildings at night. Good times.

Moreno: What was your experience like at Cal [UC Berkeley]? What did you
study?

Mackenroth: Cal was really great for me. It was the perfect atmosphere to come out;
and I spent much of my time in San Francisco. I actually started out as a pre-med
student for the first 2 years and then I realized that I would be much happier in a
creative field, so I switched to fine arts. I double majored in Fine Arts and Sociology.

Moreno: After you gradated form UC Berkeley, you decided to go back to
school; fashion school. Why?

Mackenroth: Well, I had always made a lot of my own clothes. My mother was a single
parent, so we didn't have a lot of money and I liked to go out to clubs, so if I wanted to
look "cool" I would just alter something I already had. I always wanted to live in New York
and my mother would only let me go if I was going to school because she thought that
was safe for some reason. So I applied to Parsons.

Moreno: I read that you're also a

recognized well-awarded athlete.

hat's

your sport?

Mackenroth: I've been a competitive

swimmer since I was 6. My sister

and I both

started swimming 2 workouts a day when

we were about 12. It

got pretty serious

from that point on. I was a decent swimmer

on the

national level when I was young but I

am actually much better as an

adult. I

developed really late in life and now I'm

much stronger.

Moreno: Do you still compete?

Mackenroth:

Yes--I still love to compete.

Moreno: Tell us about any crazy experiences you had during your modeling
years.

Mackenroth: Well there are always the casting couch experiences where the
photographers try to get you naked for their own gratification. That happened a few
times, but I am pretty street smart. I spent a summer in Milan and that was a trip. I lived
in a tiny "model" apartment with 5 straight guys who just talked about sports and girls
and getting drunk all the time. I wanted to chew off my own foot. Plus there were so
many models in the city, the castings were ridiculous. I remember going on a casting for
Benneton that was four days long. Basically they saw every single model in the city for 4
positions. I didn't get the job.

Then with fitness modeling you often have to do things like lunges with actual weights
and you have to do it about 50 times so they can get the photo. By the end, your legs
are falling off and you have to look like it's no problem.

Moreno: Give us three examples of your good and bad qualities?

Mackenroth:
Good: Loyal, Intelligent, Creative
Bad: Stubborn, Self-critical, Bossy

Moreno: What part of your life do you find the most meaningful?

Mackenroth: I'm really happiest when I am making something. I also love my family
and friends deeply.

Moreno: For those in desperate needs of a fashion make over, what are three
items every man should have?

Mackenroth: A great pair of jeans, a perfect fitted t-shirt and a really nice watch.

Moreno: Do you have a favorite designer?

Mackenroth: It changes all the time. I have great respect for so many designers.
Personally I wear jeans and t-shirts and sneakers so I'm not a big fashionista. If I spent
money on clothes I would buy McQueen, D-Squared, and Modern Amusement. For
women I love Diane Von Furstenburg and Carolina Herrera.

Moreno: What was your experience

like with the judges?

Mackenroth: Really Great. I have a high

level of respect for all of them.

Moreno: Can we expect any drama

from Jack this season?

Mackenroth: Y

es. Big time.

Design by Jack Mackenroth

Moreno: In your opinion, what is a major fashion faux-pas?

Mackenroth: I hate when people wear their phone or head set like an accessory. Do
not clip anything to your belt, please!

Moreno: How were you able to handle the pressure and tight deadlines on
Project
Runway?

Mackenroth: I'm actually really good at time management. Of course there are times
when you start to pee your pants a little when the clock is ticking. But generally I had a
good sense of what I could accomplish in the time allotted.

Moreno: What's your favorite color?

Mackenroth: Blue, I guess.

Moreno: Did you sport any embarrassing fashion trends we should know
about? C'mon, be honest.

Mackenroth: Hell yeah!! I wore parachute pants and in the late 80's, I had long blond
hair down to my shoulders. HOT!

Moreno: If you were granted three wishes; what would they be?

Mackenroth:
1. Cure AIDS. (and other diseases) So Miss America...
2. Make Republicans see the light.
3. Selfishly I would wish for lots of money--to do altruistic things
of course. And buy lots of sneakers.

Thank you Jack for your time. For more information on Jack and his career, please visit
him directly at www.JackMackenroth.com. Make sure to catch Project Runway on
Wednesday nights, only on Bravo TV. Can't get enough of Project Runway, visit the
Blogging Project Runway website.

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