Karlie Kloss to Host 'Project Runway' After Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn's Exits

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn have said goodbye to Project Runway and a new host is taking the reins!

Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty

A new Project Runway host will soon be saying “make it work!”

After longtime hosts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn announced in early September that they would not be returning, supermodel Karlie Kloss will take over on the fashion design competition series, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Nina Garcia will return as judge, this time joined by designer Brandon Maxwell and journalist Elaine Welteroth. Project Runway season 4 winner and successful designer Christian Siriano will take Gunn’s job as mentor.

“As someone who grew up watching ‘Project Runway,’ I could not be more excited to host and produce a series that provides a platform to aspiring American designers as they pursue their creative and entrepreneurial dreams,” Kloss said in a statement to THR. “I am equally as thrilled to work alongside an incredibly talented group of fashion innovators — Brandon Maxwell, Elaine Welteroth, Nina Garcia and Christian Siriano — to inspire, support and help guide these designers as they realize their visions and build everlasting brands and businesses.”

Klum praised Siriano in a recent interview with PEOPLE.

“I think he’s a great leader in changing the perception on how women are being looked at,” she said. “I feel like he was the first to introduce models with curves. I had to explain to a lot of these designers, you want to be a designer? Who did you think you’re designing for? Models and super models only? If you’re going to be a designer you have to cater to all women – and they all come in different sizes and different shapes and heights. It was challenging for them, but I always think when something is challenging, something good comes out of it. I feel like this whole thing has made a whole wave of looking differently at women and the acceptance of everyone, because that’s how it should be. I’ve learned a lot over the 16 years.”

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Following its run at Lifetime, Project Runway is returning for season 17 to Bravo, where it aired from 2004-08.

“Bravo is proud to bring Project Runway back where it all began, and Heidi and Tim will always be a huge part of the legacy,” the network said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “The series will continue its iconic impact with Bravo’s reboot for the next generation of designers and fans. We are excited to announce our new host and mentor very soon.”

Although dynamic duo Klum and Gunn, who starred as co-hosts and judges on the show since 2004, have departed, it won’t be long before the pair is back on TV. Klum, 45, and Gunn, 65, will soon be developing a reality fashion series with Amazon Prime Video.

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“After 16 incredible seasons, I am saying ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Project Runway, a show that I was honored to host and help create,” Klum said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of the show, and it will always have a special place in my heart. I am so appreciative of the dedicated fans, and most of all, I am grateful that we could shine a light on creativity and help launch so many talented designers’ careers. I’m most excited that my journey with my dear friend and colleague, Tim Gunn, is far from over. We will be partnering with Amazon for a new show, and we’re excited for everyone to see what we’re designing next!”

Said Gunn in his statement, “I am grateful to Project Runway for putting me on a path I never, in my wildest dreams, thought my career would take me! I am so proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking process that showcased talented young designers as never before. Most importantly, I am indebted to our incredible fans, they are the heart and soul of what we do, and continue to inspire us to raise the bar in this arena. I’m excited for them to see what’s next, as I partner with Amazon and Heidi Klum on our next great ‘fashion’ adventure.”