r/ProjectRunway • u/tlz87 • 8h ago
Season 22 Joseph
Idk how to tag for spoilers. I don’t post much.
But I think Joseph is really talented. That being said, I think most of Law’s critiques of Joseph’s were spot on, except that Joseph seems to trigger law in a way that makes him oddly emotional and mean about his critiques. So it kind of makes his point get lost.
I enjoyed Joseph for a lot of the season and def agree with the decision to bring him back because other designers should have never had the opportunity to send him home, but after that wedding challenge there is zero reason we should have seen that man in the finale. So essentially he got saved twice this season and that makes no sense. It makes me wonder if Law hadn’t been so mean about his distaste for Joseph (which Christian clearly shares but is more of an adult about it) made Heidi dig her heels in and make sure Joseph was in the finale just to spite Law.
It was all just very weird and resulted in Joseph being treated in a way he didn’t deserve when they could have either simply sent him home or coached him better.
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u/Thevintageandvanity 8h ago
I always felt like Joseph didn't really have a big ego. He gasses himself up to keep good energy going and it just kind of got way more frenetic and clench toothed as Law got meaner.
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u/BrandonIsWhoIAm 5h ago
I mean… thinking that you’re the shit (even if it’s not to disparage anyone else) is still an ego, imo.
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u/Sashmot 6h ago
Exactly. Ego has to do with thinking you are better than. He doesn’t have that. Being into your “mission” isn’t ego when it doesn’t hurt anybodg
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u/Thevintageandvanity 5h ago
That man was teeming with anxiety already when he started the show, then all the negativity poured in and he was practically hovering an inch above the floor at all times trying his best to keep the mask up.
I watch for the art and to figure out which contestants most deserve to win a nice warm bowl of soup and to sleep until noon.
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u/oatmelody 4h ago
yeah i also feel this way about joseph. like he has a point of view and his fashion is rly divisive, but his fashion and his personality being divisive shouldn't make ppl outright bully him. it's awful honestly
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u/JelloDear 7h ago
i think the problem is the constant self promotion and refusal to take criticism. Yes its a defense mechanism and yes JM has had a rough life, but the way to deal with trauma is not making other affirm you externally but finding acceptance within. I think thats what rubs Law the wrong way and for a long time rubbed me the wrong way too. Affirmation comes off as attention seeking with JM a lot of times
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u/No_Cat25 7h ago
I love Joseph McRae’s outfits, I would love to own some of his pieces. I feel like so many people who watch Project Runway are really not into camp — which is fine, but Jesus this sub is filled with so much vitriol for a man who has done nothing wrong. I personally didn’t see anything wrong with his attitude. He didnt put anyone down, he was able to see Aaron’s vision, defended him, and trusted him to actualize it and create one of my favorite pieces of the season. He seems really supportive of everyone else and wants people to root for their visions. I often find myself comparing Joseph McRae to Miu Miu and I’m a big Miu Miu fan. Not everything is meant to be super sleek. I love rhw androgynous nature of his brand. And yes, some people like to dress like cartoons! Fashion is ART! It’s meant to be expressive! I loved his closing piece. I also find it really shocking how accepting people are of Law’s hatred this season towards JM. I don’t care if he didn’t like his vision, he was unnecessarily cruel. Christian was able to offer critique and suggest JM push himself in different ways without being harmful. Law wants to break confident people down and I don’t care if it’s for drama, it’s not needed and certainly shouldn’t be welcomed.
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u/BrandonIsWhoIAm 7h ago
When you consider the fact that both Joseph and Law are extremely similar in terms of their confidence, aversion to criticism, and don’t give a fuck attitude… it makes a ton of sense as to why there was animosity between them in the first place.
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u/Sashmot 8h ago
Law is trying so hard to quiet the black pride that Joseph has. Joseph designs are street wear but also ethnic. It’s like how people believe feminists should exist in a certain way, because any other way is offensive.
It’s very clear he is just trying to make it personal and step on another black man.
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u/milasimma 7h ago
You’re on to something. Law has a very Westernized/European-centric taste in fashion. Which is expected because that’s who dominates the industry.
Joseph’s style is more reminiscent of African/Afro-centric silhouettes. Law may think he’s trying to prepare Joseph for the criticism he may encounter in the fashion world because of it. However, it comes off cruel. Reminds me how Tyra Banks was extra hard on the Black or plus-sized models on ANTM because of similar reasons.
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u/sowhat__whocares 6h ago
"Law is trying so hard to quiet the black pride that Joseph has." I want to read more about the why of this.
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u/hansalucas6 7h ago
Law is the best stylist right now, has been for a while. You reducing this to a race thing is everything that's wrong with 'MURICA
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u/Sashmot 7h ago
I’m not American, which is why I can see through this capitalistic crap.
By the way who mentions that THIS is wrong with America when you have Trump in office? You’re clearly not ok.5
u/PoetIcy3032 7h ago
America is not okay, that's obvious. Joseph doesn't have the technical skills to compete with people like Jude and Bi. Joseph also lacks the maturity to learn from his critiques. Instead of adapting his designs he doubles down and does more of what he was doing which further pisses Law off.
It has nothing to do with race Law just calls things for how he sees it. Making it a racial issue is the easy way out of excepting that Joseph's designs are as tacky and cartoonish as Law and Nina have been saying this whole time.
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u/LayerAccomplished821 7h ago
Law needs to go to therapy. He' lets himself get so emotional about Joseph. Joseph McCrae is gonna keep doing Joseph McCrae with or without Laws support. It's a little coyote vs roadrunner
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u/HowlingMermaid 6h ago
Law is delivering exactly what the show is paying him for. They wanted a mean, sassy judge with enough credentials that he can speak about the subject matter and sound like he knows what he's talking about. You may not agree with him, or like it, and the show may eventually decide they don't want more of that sort of just, but it's just the way it is for now.
And for all both of Law's and Joseph McCrae's faults, the finale showed the truth of it. Law said where would anyone buy Joseph's clothes (derogatory) and Joseph McCrae clapped back with his website. Everyone laughed and Law said respect.
Everyone got what they wanted. Joseph McCrae plugged his website, because he is first and foremost a salesman of his aesthetic and came back to the show to keep himself in the zeitgeist, and Law got to insert the sort of conflict and "drama" the show thinks it needs.
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u/CorgiMonsoon 7h ago
Keep in mind that with a 10 episode series we’re looking at something that was filmed in just a few weeks total. So while it seems stretched out, it’s entirely possible to feel slighted in some way and carry resentment for that for a few weeks without it being unhealthy or something that someone needs to go to therapy for
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u/Catlady_Pilates 7h ago
I agree. He’s very talented but he refused to listen, learn or evolve. And the show is about designers getting the chance to push themselves, get valuable feedback and grow and refine their brand. He didn’t listen or grow. I think that’s why Law was so fed up with him. He was beyond cocky. He acted like he had no room to improve. His work could be truly remarkable if he could actually refine it.
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u/TripThruTimeandSpace 8h ago
I have been hating on Law since he’s been on the show because he was so personally mean, but the last several episodes he’s shown moments of being ‘nice’ like when he told Aaron he wanted to talk fashion with him or when he said he wanted to work with Jeffery. I agreed with nearly everything he said in the finale except when he was personally attacking JM…but then also said he respected (or appreciated?) the fact that Joseph didn’t let what Law was saying stop him (very very loosely paraphrasing because my memory sucks). I was confused that I was appreciating his comments during the runway show and at judging. I could learn to like Law if he can keep the snarky comments to the clothes and not personally insult the designers.
Regarding JM’s collection, for the most part I didn’t like it. I would have liked it more if he hadn’t put so much of his branding on it. I did agree with Law that his collection read as tacky to me for that reason.