Alum Yuchen Han (Fashion Design MFA ’19) is redefining what fashion can express—on the runway and beyond. As founder/creative director of ALIENANT, Han creates emotionally resonant designs rooted in his personal story. Now, he brings that vision to the national stage (and screen) as a contestant on Project Runway, Season 21.
Newsroom spoke with Han about the spiritual meaning behind his brand, how FIT helped shape his voice as a designer, and why he views this season not as a competition, but instead a portal.
FIT Newsroom: Can you tell us about yourself and how you would describe your design style?
Yuchen Han: I’m the founder and creative director of ALIENANT. I was born in Xining, China, on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, and raised in Xi’an under difficult circumstances. My early life was shaped by family separation and emotional abuse. These experiences made me introspective and disconnected from the world until I discovered fashion as a form of healing and rebellion.
Tell us about your brand, ALIENANT.
ALIENANT is more than a fashion brand: It’s a wearable awakening system. The name comes from a recurring childhood dream: a tiny ant carrying a grain of rice larger than itself through dense white fog. After a spiritual awakening in 2023, I realized the ant symbolized humanity carrying the illusions of power, money, and identity. The alien represented my lifelong feeling of being an outsider, but also someone with a higher perspective.
Founded in 2019 in New York, ALIENANT transforms personal trauma into collective healing. We use glitch art, spiritual codes, modular tailoring, and Taoist influence to merge futuristic streetwear with cosmic meaning. It’s not just about clothing, it’s about transmission: a soul mission disguised as design.
As a Fashion Design MFA graduate, what did the program teach you that helped shape your career?
The MFA program at FIT gave me space to dive into the depths of my design philosophy. It helped me crystallize my core visual language—the glitch, the armor, the sacred distortion—and refine my point of view.
I also took fashion business management courses, which helped me build ALIENANT during grad school. FIT gave me both the conceptual freedom and the industry framework to shape a real brand, not just a creative idea. It was where I turned inner vision into external reality.
What was the preparation like for joining this season of Project Runway?
Project Runway had reached out to me multiple times between 2019 and 2023, but I wasn’t ready then. I finally said yes in 2024 because something inside me had clicked—the timing felt right. I grew up watching the show, so it always held a mythic energy for me. I had about three weeks to prepare. I sketched out ideas, imagined possible challenges, bought tools, and studied the recent seasons.
But honestly, my approach wasn’t strategic—it was spiritual. I saw this as a portal, not a performance. I didn’t enter to win. I entered to transmit. To be seen. To speak.
Many FIT alumni have participated in Project Runway. What does it feel like to be part of this network and share that experience?
I feel incredibly proud. Being part of the FIT community is already an honor, but to now stand on this platform as an ambassador of what FIT represents in American fashion? That’s powerful. FIT trains designers not just to be skilled, but to have a voice. And Project Runway is one of the few places where that voice gets broadcast to a wide audience. I’m honored to represent that lineage.
What can we expect from this season of Project Runway?
This season is packed with raw talent and emotional depth. For the first time, the cast has been reduced to just 12 designers, making the competition tighter, the stakes higher, and the stories even more personal. The diversity among contestants is powerful, from emerging voices to returning legends, including two iconic designers from past seasons and Utica Queen’s slender twin flame.
Each designer brings a completely different language to the runway. There’s no overlap—only pure individuality. From avant-garde to classic tailoring, the contrasts are striking. And beyond the fashion, the season is filled with drama, unexpected turns, and deeply moving moments of connection.
The challenges are visually compelling and creatively demanding, pushing us to our edges. With Heidi Klum back as host, Law Roach adding sharp critique, and a dynamic cast across ages and backgrounds, this season doesn’t just entertain, it elevates.
I hope audiences not only enjoy the show but begin to question what fashion is truly capable of revealing about who we are.
What advice would you give to FIT students and future contestants of Project Runway?
If you dream of being on the show, don’t wait to be invited: Go for it. Audition. Put yourself out there. I was invited, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t actively seek the opportunity if it speaks to you.
Before filming, take time to prepare. Design a few looks that can respond to different types of challenges—something sculptural, something unconventional, something wearable. Rewatch previous seasons and study the patterns of each challenge. And most importantly, practice being on camera. Project Runway isn’t just about design, it’s about presence. Having an authentic and compelling personality helps your work be understood and remembered. Be bold, but stay true to yourself.
What’s your favorite look of the season?
Since the show hasn’t aired yet, I can’t reveal too much. But I can say that my favorite challenges are the ones that push us outside the usual fashion structure—the unconventional ones, the ones that make you think differently. Those are the moments where true creativity comes alive.
What surprised you most about filming Project Runway?
Definitely the intensity of the timeline. We were on an elimination cycle almost every two days, which meant constant designing, making, and presenting under extreme pressure. Our days started as early as 7 or 8 am and often didn’t end until 10 pm or later.
We were miked up all day, followed by cameras everywhere we went. There was little time to rest or reflect—it was go, go, go. The emotional and physical toll is very real. You don’t just need strong design skills, you need stamina, clarity, and inner balance to survive that kind of environment.
Project Runway premieres July 31 on Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+.
Follow Yuchen’s journey and fellow alum Belania Daley’s (read her Q&A on Newsroom) on FIT’s Instagram feed as the show progresses this season.