Ethan Mundt on Being the First ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Queen to Compete (and Nearly Win) ‘Project Runway’: “I Came in and Really Gagged Them a Bit”

For RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Utica Queen, Project Runway was always in the cards.

Fans of the RuPaul-hosted reality series know the talent Utica, aka Ethan Mundt, possesses with a sewing machine. His sleeping bag gown created during season 13’s Bag Ball shook the show’s audience in 2021, and is remembered as one of the best design looks created on the set of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

It was only a matter of time before Mundt would hop over the pond, so to speak, and appear on the design competition show. “Project Runway has been on my radar for a while,” Mundt tells The Hollywood Reporter, acknowledging the landmark decision to cast a well-known personality from outside of the franchise.

“This is the first opportunity that a queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race gets to go and showcase the work, to actually showcase what a queen can do,” he adds. “Of course, I was nervous to be judged as just a queen from Drag Race. But I think that I came in and really gagged them a bit.”

Below, Mundt reflects on the first-of-its-kind reality TV crossover, which of his Project Runway looks he hopes to be remembered for, if he thought about showing up to the season 21 finale in drag and if RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars lies in Utica’s future.

***

Let’s back up to the very beginning. Did you apply to appear on Project Runway, or were you approached to potentially join the cast?

Project Runway has been on my radar for a while, but I got into this cycle of making things for Drag Race and doing commission work. I always thought that Project Runway would be so fun and an amazing journey. But I was approached by the show, and when that happened, I was like, “Oh yes, it is time.” But of course, I went through all the hurdles that a contestant will go through — the psych evals, the interviews, showing off the work and just being really present amongst the casting process. I went through the waiting game, and then they gave me the final call. So it was a little bit of both — a little bit of reaching out and a little bit of just going through all the hoops to make it happen.

When the opportunity arose to appear on Project Runway, did you worry or hesitate that you could potentially be treated differently by contestants or judges because of your history on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

We go into this process with preconceived notions of our work and our personality, but I think walking into the room and having other contestants who have been in the same boat, like Jesus and Caycee [who previously appeared on earlier seasons of Project Runway], and when we found out later in the season that Veejay was also on [Project Runway Philippines], it felt like, “Oh, this is our second shot to really make it happen.” And in a way, it kind of felt like an all-star season. This is the first opportunity that a queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race gets to go and showcase the work, and not just be a talking head anymore, but to actually showcase what a queen can do. So, of course, I was nervous to be judged as just a queen from Drag Race. But I came in, and I think I really surprised not only the audience but the contestants and the judges to really showcase something so special on that runway. I think that I came in and really gagged them a bit.

This is the first time that someone from RuPaul’s Drag Race has gone on Project Runway. Now that you are embedded in the history of these two beloved reality shows, what does that feel like?

Of course, it’s a big honor, and I’m really gagged that this opportunity has not happened yet. There is such a rich world of drag designers and drag artists that are just creating beautiful pieces and inspiring fashion. So, it’s amazing. I really hope this opportunity opens the doors for other drag designers and drag artists to continue to make and be a part of the story. I’m hoping to see some of my [drag] sisters or other designers on the show, and just really put their stamp on the world and change the fashion community [with] something a little bit more boisterous, a little bit more loud, a little bit more experimental. As our country moves into states of chaos right now, we need art to really pave the way, to bring hope. It’s a big honor to be a part of this narrative, especially right now and what’s happening in the world.

Season 21 had a fully queer top three. What does that mean for you, not only to make it to the finale of Project Runway to show your first collection, but to be surrounded by this particular group of queer designers, given the current political climate?

It’s fabulous. Showing off all this queerness is definitely what we need right now to show that we can rise through adversity and make it out on top. It’s the moment. It’s what the world needs to see that is just a big, special moment to say, “Fuck you to the powers that be,” that queer people can come out on top and create beautiful work along the way. And you know, being a queen and being queer is a political statement in itself. So I’m glad that through art, we’re already making waves.

You won the first and last challenges of the season. What does that signify to you about your growth on Project Runway?

I think I made the show into my sandwich (laughs). Start the competition out with a bang, and just have a fabulous time through it. And then to end it with such a bang, I think is every designer’s dream who wants to go on the show. It makes it reality. It’s really amazing to be able to say that I came in and gave it my all and gave them a great go, and I gave them equally as great clothes.

On Drag Race, your sleeping bag look is a standout piece you’re known for. Which look from your time on Project Runway do you hope to be remembered for?

I think I have the privilege to say that there have been a few. Of course, the cape [from the premiere], the athleisure with the red stripe, the avant-garde [Wicked challenge], my butterfly [unconventional challenge] look, right? Starting the competition off with a bang with the cape and then moving right into killing the athleisure [challenge] was just insane. To be able to say I have a few notable looks is really special.

With your finale collection, you utilized a male model. Did you ever think about potentially casting drag queens as your models?

Of course. I did ask for trans women, drag queens, men that I could put into drag. But we got a few male models, some of them could walk, some of them could not. From what I got to pick, I feel like I got a really good squad of people that have supported me throughout the competition. And unfortunately, the finale was only five days prep, so as much as I would have loved to put some of my characters in drag, [timing] did not allow to make that happen.

You showed up to one of the runways in full drag as Utica instead of Ethan. You have since revealed that production asked you to show up in drag. Did you think about coming to the finale in drag as Utica, or were you set on presenting yourself as Ethan for your final moment on Project Runway?

I did consider going to the finale drag. I had the look already, but girl, [it was] so hectic. And then also, I’ll be honest, with the crazy critiques and everything that happened for the denim [challenge when I showed up in drag], I approached them afterwards, and I was like, “I did not come on this show to have my character critiqued in this way. Critique the clothes, critique the moments of the show, but I will not gift my art of being presented in drag, which takes a lot of time — I have to get up early, it’s inherently uncomfortable.” And I never got the air that they were going to shift their point of view in that regard, so I did not gift them with being in drag again. But it was so crazy. In a way, I’m kind of glad that I did [not come in drag], because hand sewing my model into her dress at the end, I don’t know if I could have done it in drag.

Given this newfound explosion in your career as a designer, does this mean that Utica and performing in drag is potentially going to be sidelined, or are you still equally as focused on drag while also expanding your work as a designer?

I definitely want to continue both avenues. I have the bandwidth for both. Utica informs the clothes, so I think that I would love to continue both energies as I move forward. And I mean, both of them sign checks, so I would love to keep the energy going (Laughs).

Do you think that having competed on Project Runway and moving into a different reality show with a different network could prohibit you from returning to Drag Race for an All Stars season? Are you even open to going back to All Stars in the future?

I would love to go back to All Stars. I definitely want to let Project Runway cook and take advantage of the opportunity and not under-saturate it, because it’s such an incredible moment for the drag community to be on this show. But, I would not say no to an All Stars opportunity. I think there is room for someone like me to come back with getting the blaze in and just create a fabulous moment on All Stars after all of this. There are so many queens that branch out to do different things from Drag Race, and Drag Race is one of the reasons why my career has become what it has. I would love to go back and really just create a beautiful moment when the time is right.

What reality show will you go on next? You have RuPaul’s Drag Race and Project Runway under your belt. What’s next?

I would love another making show, whatever that may be, like Next in Fashion, if they ever bring that back, or Making the Cut. Or I would love to be a model on Project Runway. To come in and have [designers] fight over my Polaroid would be so sickening, or even a judge on the show. I think that would just be fabulous to be a part of the franchise in a different way, rather than being a contestant.

Looking back at Project Runway season 21, what do you think is the number one thing you’ve learned that you will take away from this experience as a designer?

My special brand is things that are off the beaten path and a little loud. Getting the critique that my things are too draggy is fine. I’m pushing the envelope, doing things that are new, and I’m really going to take with me that I can create a special moment on the runway and include everybody’s bodies into the narrative. I think I’m trusting myself throughout this whole competition, and I’m going to continue to do that into the fashion world. I am leaving the competition without any restraints from the show. I’m gonna do nothing but grow from the experience. And for my first whack at Project Runway, I think I killed it.

Describe your Project Runway experience in one word.

Showstopper.

***

Season 21 of Project Runway is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. Read THR’s interview with season 21’s winner, Veejay Floresca, here.