Tim Gunn

Timothy MacKenzie Gunn is an American author, academic, and television personality. He is widely known for serving as the on-air mentor to designers on the reality television show Project Runway for 16 seasons, where he introduced his signature catchphrase, "Make it work." In addition to his television career, Gunn has worked as a fashion educator and served as the chief creative officer for Liz Claiborne, which later became Kate Spade & Company.

Gunn was born on July 29, 1953, in Washington, D.C. His father was an FBI agent who eventually became a ghostwriter and speechwriter for J. Edgar Hoover. Raised in an intensely homophobic household, Gunn struggled with his sexual orientation during his youth and attempted suicide at age 17. He denied his sexual orientation until his early 20s and came out to his sister when he was 29. Gunn attended the Corcoran College of Art and Design at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture.

Gunn began his professional career as the director of admissions for the Corcoran College of Art and Design. In 1982, he joined the faculty of Parsons School of Design in Greenwich Village, New York. He served as associate dean at Parsons from 1989 to 2000, and was named chair of the fashion design department in August 2000, where he was credited with retooling and invigorating the curriculum. He remained chair until March 2007, when he left Parsons to become the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc.

Gunn's television career expanded rapidly following his debut on Project Runway in 2004. His popularity led to spin-off series, including Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and Lifetime's Under the Gunn. He also served as an executive producer and mentor for teen designers on Project Runway: Junior. In September 2018, Gunn and co-host Heidi Klum departed Project Runway to host the Amazon Video fashion competition show Making the Cut, which released its third season in the summer of 2022.

In addition to fashion competitions, Gunn has worked on various television, media, and acting projects. He voiced Baileywick, the castle steward in Disney Jr.'s Sofia the First, and narrated the sitcom Mixology. He made guest appearances playing himself or fictional roles on series such as Ugly Betty, Drop Dead Diva, How I Met Your Mother, and Gossip Girl. Gunn was also featured in a Marvel Comics miniseries titled Models Inc., participated in the documentary Do I Sound Gay?, and appeared in the audio drama Heads Will Roll.

Gunn has published five books, beginning in April 2007 with A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. He won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2013 for Outstanding Host for a Reality Or Reality-Competition Program. In 2020, Queerty named him among fifty heroes for LGBTQ equality. Gunn resides in Manhattan and has spoken publicly about his long-term celibacy and asexuality. He is also an outspoken critic of using animal fur in fashion, having narrated a 2008 video for PETA regarding rabbit fur farming.