Movieline Interviews Project Runway's Bickering Runners-Up Mila and Emilio -- at the Same Time

Now, for the both of you. How has your relationship changed since you've left the show? There was definite tension in the workroom. Months later, have things settled?

MILA: I would say there was some tension between us on the show--

EMILIO: Was there?! Honestly! Was there, Mila? Was there tension?

MILA: Emilio, you haven't watched the show. You don't remember all the trash-talking you did about me. [Laughs]

EMILIO: Oh, lord have mercy.

MILA: I'm sure we both said stuff about the other. But you know, we're both mature enough to move past it and respect it.

EMILIO: Exactly.

MILA: I have respect for you!

Emilio: Likewise.

MILA: I think the bonds between Emilio, Seth Aaron, and I while filming the finale is something we're not going to forget. And I really appreciated the experience.

EMILIO: Likewise. I have huge respect for Mila and Seth Aaron. All thre
e of us having amazing points of view. We're so different. I think that's what made the judging so difficult for the judges. As far as an any animosity... I was competing. I wasn't really thinking of the personal relationships I was building or not building. But my respect for my fellow designers never wavered. We beat out a lot of people just to be in that room. The Top 16 in that room were there for a reason. Everyone there had a valid reason to be there and a valid chance to the win. Mila, Seth Aaron, and myself, we got to the top 3. At the end of the day, I've always said, we were the strongest designers. I respect strength and talent. I have the utmost respect for Mila; always have, always will. When the cameras are not taping, we all get along and we talk about different things.

MILA: Mm-hmm.

EMILIO: It's the nature of the beast. No one is 100% themselves when you have a camera on you for 18 hours of the day, you know what I mean?

MILA: I always say it's like being out in the wild. Your survival instincts kick in, your fashion survival instincts. I had no idea how I was going to react in that situation, and I'm sure you didn't either. I mean, it's a competition --

EMILIO: No!

MILA: We all took it seriously, and that's how we we ended up being in the top. For me, it wasn't summer camp. It wasn't about being popular.

EMILIO: It wasn't, right.

MILA: That's not to say I didn't want to make relationships, but honestly, you're supposed to follow your dream. You're focused. Making friendships is not the priority. It's about doing your work and focusing. And if you make friends, that's a bonus.

So you haven't discussed how you called his collection "Harlem in 1994" yet?

MILA: Here's the thing --

EMILIO: Ha!

MILA: This is what happens when you don't watch the show.

EMILIO: You said my collection was Harlem, 1994? That's funny though. 1994 was a good year for me, actually.

MILA: See, there you go.

EMILIO: I remember 1994. That was a great year for me. I was in Harlem, so thank you, Mila. That doesn't bother me.

MILA: You've had your share of critiques about me as well in your interviews, and I'm not offended by any of that.

EMILIO: It's about the clothing, it's not about the person. That's what I'm trying to get at when they ask me about someone's garment. I'm talking about someone's garment, not the person. I'm able to separate myself from my clothing in that personal way. I would hope that other people would, but you know, not everyone does.

MILA: No. A lot of the younger designers don't know how to separate the two, and that was a big source of some of the friction on the show.

EMILIO: But if Mila said that about my collection, that's fine, that's her opinion. If you ask a million different people, you'll get a million different opinions.

MILA: Exactly, fashion is subjective. That's the beautiful thing. Emilio and Seth Aaron and I can alter these collections, and we're all going to have fans, we're all going to have customers.

EMILIO: Exactly.

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