Jay McCarroll Biography

Jay McCarroll grew up in a small mountain town in Pennsylvania called Iehman. He studied fashion at Philadelphia University, where he now teaches a class about making portfolios. McCarroll was the winner of the first season of Project Runway.

He is the only winning designer to have refused to accept all of the prizes, such as the $100,000 cash prize. The cash was to help McCarroll create his own brand of clothing. He turned it down when he discovered that the Weinstein Company (the production company behind “Project Runway“) would forever take a 10% cut of all profits made from his brand.

Designers he admires most: Walter van Beirendonck, Comme Des Garcons, Jun Takahashi, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen.