Tan France and Alexa Chung address heated exchange with guest judge on Next In Fashion | PopBuzz Meets

29 January 2020, 16:38

By Woodrow Whyte

Netflix's Next In Fashion hosts Tan France and Alexa Chung reveal what happened behind the scenes during episode 4 with Kerby Jean-Raymond.

Tan France and Alexa Chung have revealed what happened behind the scenes after a tense disagreement during filming with guest judge Kerby Jean-Raymond on new Netflix show Next in Fashion (out now).

The show, which is a bit like Bake Off-meets-Fashion Week, pits eighteen professional fashion designers against each other to take home a grand prize of $250,000 and an opportunity to debut their collection with luxury fashion retailer Net-a-Porter. Queer Eye's Tan and presenter-turned-fashion designer Alexa are hosts and permanent judges on the show.

Each episode, the designers face challenges centring on a different trend or design style. They compete in teams to create multiple looks in just two days before their designs hit the runway and are critiqued by the judges.

***Minor spoiler warning for episode 4***

Next In Fashion Competition Series | Official Trailer | Netflix

For the most part the show is sparse on drama, preferring to focus on the talents and creations of the designers, many of whom are seasoned professionals, often with A-List celebrity clientele.

It's all smooth sailing until episode 4 during the streetwear design challenge. The judges cannot decide who to send home, causing guest judge and respected streetwear designer Kerby Jean-Raymond to walk off stage. The filming then cuts and the judges do not return to the stage, leaving the designers in limbo as to what will happen next.

Speaking to PopBuzz, Tan and Alexa spoke about what happened after the cameras were turned off.

"We just talked about it", says Alexa. "In all the episodes that proceeded that one it had been fairly obvious who between us we wanted to pick to leave that week. But the closer it got to narrowing it down towards the finale, the harder it was because the competition was just so stiff."

While there was a lot tension of stage, Tan was keen to stress that the show was not like other reality shows which produce fake drama. "What happened off screen was just a conversation", he said. "We all want to really champion the success of the best designer. There's no drama for the sake of drama. We don't produce drama on the show, you'll notice that throughout the season. It's not like a "reality" show [in that sense]. The drama comes from who really could be a designer that we really want to wear."

Looking back on her decision, Alexa added, "I wasn't even judging within the realms of how thematic it was per se. I was just like 'I think there were better designers in that particular challenge'. To me their designs weren't as good as the other ones. It was as simple as that."

Tan responded: "But as far as they [the designers on stage - and Kerby] were concerned, their's tied in to the brief more than others. So it was a very difficult one because we all have our own idea of what makes great streetwear."

Next In Fashion is on Netflix now. Watch the full interview with Tan & Alexa by hitting play on the video at the top of this article or head to our YouTube channel.