Watch out, ‘Project Runway.” There”s a network competitor coming after your fashionista audience. NBC announced today that Jessica Simpson will serve as a celebrity mentor on “Fashion Star,” the new reality competition series that will search for the next big brand in fashion. The show is hosted by model Elle Macpherson.
“NBC is delighted to work with singer, designer, actress and pop culture icon Jessica Simpson,” said Paul Telegdy Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC. “With an almost billion dollar lifestyle brand under her belt she is sure to be an excellent mentor to our up-and-coming designers.”
Online shopaholics alert: the series is designed not only to groom and discover America”s next popular brand, but to allow viewers at home to buy the winning designs each week. The show will gather consumer feedback and will span all categories of fashion from suits and dresses to lingerie, denim and bathing suits, to name a few. Fourteen unknown designers will get the chance to win a multimillion dollar contract to launch their lines in three of America”s largest retailers.
With her mega fashion empire featuring everything from shoes to sunglasses (22 product categories in all), Simpson is obviously a big get — but probably not the only one. NBC tells HitFix that we can expect the names of other celebrity mentors and retailers to be released soon.