Project Runway Israel

Proyekt Maslul brought the format of the American Project Runway franchise to Israeli television, challenging local fashion designers with weekly creative tasks under time and budget constraints.[1] The series was hosted by model Shiraz Tal, while Tel Aviv designer and educator Sasson Kedem mentored the contestants and sometimes brought them together to critique one another's work.[1][2] Alon Livné won the competition, which lasted for one season.[3][4]

Reshet produced the adaptation for Channel 2. The announced season comprised 13 episodes, with production investment estimated at approximately $2.2 million, and was filmed in a Tel Aviv loft built for the program.[1] Castro served as the main sponsor; the collaboration included branded shop windows and the display of each week's winning design at Castro's flagship store in Dizengoff Center, Tel Aviv.[1]

The competition began with 13 designers. Each episode assigned a different task—varying in material, garment type, or intended client—while contestants worked within limited time and budgets.[1] The designers lived together in shared accommodation, and their communal life was also filmed.[1] Kedem served as professional mentor.[1] The judging panel was chaired by Victor (Vivi) Balais and included stylist Gal Appel, with a guest judge from the fashion world joining each episode.[1]

The season finale saw Alon Livné defeat finalists Lucy David and Maya Amrami-Finkelstein.[3] Livné's winning collection was colorful and drew inspiration from the stages of a butterfly's life.[3] In the final vote, he received four votes to Amrami-Finkelstein's two, with David receiving none; beyond the permanent judges, guest judges Bar Refaeli and Eti Roter and votes from previously eliminated contestants contributed to the result.[3]

Livné had worked as a designer from age 17 and trained with Alexander McQueen in London and Roberto Cavalli in Milan before his victory.[5] His winning designs were praised for daring color choices paired with organic shapes that evoked modernity.[6] The post-finale prize package included work designing for a fashion company, funding intended to enable him to open his own store, and—as a surprise additional award—a slot showing a collection at an Israeli fashion week in Los Angeles, alongside established designers and under the auspices of the Israeli consulate general.[3]

A post-finale Mako assessment said the season had not achieved the ratings success Reshet hoped for: initial public interest faded, viewership declined during the run, and the finale was characterized as lukewarm.[7] The finale drew an 11.5% rating, which Globes characterized as disappointing given the scale of the production investment.[8]

Interviewees offered varying explanations for the series' underperformance. Some felt the Israeli episodes were too long, too serious, and too focused on discussion and gossip rather than on the clothes themselves.[7] Ilana Barakowitz argued that the adaptation did not look, sound, or feel like the American program and suggested it should have been called "Designer Born" instead.[7] Designer Tova'le was more blunt, saying she had fallen asleep during the finale and did not know who had won until the following morning.[7]

The adaptation did not continue beyond its first season, but a 2025 Mako retrospective still identified winner Alon Livné as one of the program's notable outcomes. The retrospective contrasted the Israeli edition's brief run with the American franchise, which had reached 20 seasons and more than 250 episodes at the time of publication.[4]

Published accounts of the winner's prize package differ between pre-broadcast and post-finale reporting. Before the series aired, Globes described the planned reward as a cash prize and a one-year shop at Arena Mall.[1] The post-finale ynet report described a fashion-company design opportunity, funding intended to enable Livné to open his own store, and an additional Los Angeles fashion-week showcase, with no mention of the Arena Mall arrangement.[3] Whether the prize structure changed during production or the two reports reflect incomplete information is not established by the available sources.