Down the Runway and beyond

And here is your first look at the 12 contestants from Project Runway Australia, Arena’s new fashion reality show that’s looking to be “a cut above” the rest.

Last night Arena held a launch for the new series made at the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Melbourne.

Host Kristy Hinze and series mentor Henry Roth ran a “mini-challenge” where each of the contestants had to whip up a little black dress on a budget of just $50. You can see some of the results for yourself.

The audience voted designer Oren best on the night.

The series has now finished shooting all but the grand final.

Project Runway Australia launches 8:30pm Monday July 7 on Arena.