In an exclusive interview with EntertainmentNow, “Project Runway” Season 16 winner Kentaro Kameyama reflected on the rise and quiet fall of fame, the freedom that came after it, and why his latest New York Fashion Week collection was never about chasing attention.
Born in Japan, Kameyama first captured a global audience when he won Lifetime’s “Project Runway.” He shared that the moment of maximum visibility was brief and intense.
“The day I won was the day I was the most famous,” he said. “My phone broke because Instagram didn’t stop. I didn’t know how to silence it.”
What followed, he explained, was a gradual return to normal life. For Kameyama, that return was not a loss, but a release.
“After that, it comes down,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m less as a person.”
When the “15 Minutes of Fame” Wears Off
Kameyama describes his time on the hit fashion television show as meaningful, but momentary. While the show introduced his work to a global audience, he does not credit it with defining his career or creative identity.
“It was six weeks,” he said. “It’s experience, but it didn’t change my skill level. My technique has been the same since I was a little boy.”
He likened winning “Project Runway” to earning a credential rather than a transformation. The exposure opened doors, but it did not dictate his path.
“I wasn’t expecting to become a movie star,” he said. “I recommend everyone experience their 15 minutes of fame. It’s nice. But being famous all the time could be very annoying.”
Now a fashion department chair at a boarding school in California, Kameyama says stability has given him something far more valuable than attention: creative independence.
“I don’t have pressure to sell anything,” he said. “That freedom is everything.”
Designing Without Pressure at New York Fashion Week
GettyThat freedom was on full display in his most recent New York Fashion Week presentation, powered by Art Hearts Fashion. The collection showcased flowing silhouettes, neutral tones, and layered fabrics that emphasized movement and texture over drama and spectacle.
Kentaro Kameyama, a classically trained pianist and composer, approaches fashion the same way he approaches music.
“Classical music has so many textures,” he explained. “Staccato, legato, pianissimo. I try to do the same visually. Different shapes, different textures, but still cohesive.”
Rather than starting with a rigid theme, he finds inspiration in daily life, repetition, and small, unexpected moments.
“If you take the same subway every day, sometimes something small hits you,” he said. “That’s where meaning comes from.”
Kameyama revealed he is uninterested in designing for status or excess. He explained that his vision centers on garments meant to “live quietly” in the world, not shout for attention.
Getty“I don’t design for rich people to show off how much money they have,” he said. “I want an internal connection.”
That philosophy also shapes how he views longevity. Instead of striving for timelessness, Kameyama embraces change.
“I hope five years from now I hate this collection,” he said. “That would mean I’ve grown. Fashion should die at some point, then come back.”
For Kameyama, letting go of fame made room for something more lasting: newfound clarity. And at this stage of his career, that clarity is exactly what keeps his vision sharp.
