Project Runway is officially back for its 21st season. This year, ELLE editor-in-chief Nina Garcia unites with image architect Law Roach on the judging panel, Heidi Klum returns to host, and Christian Siriano mentors the hopeful designers. Together, they’re overseeing a new class of ambitious contestants who are ready to deliver bold designs, high-stakes drama, and unforgettable runway moments.Season 21 promises to deliver the excitement and high-fashion storytelling that has defined Project Runway for two decades, with a cast that includes returning alums, a transgender designer, and even a pair of twin brothers. As Klum told People, “It feels so good to be back—it feels like I never left.”Garcia, who has judged all 21 seasons, reflected on how the series has always mirrored the fashion world’s evolution: “I find it so interesting that the show, much like fashion, is really a reflection of our culture. It’s an artistic reflection of what is happening in society—and the show has never shied away from that,” she told Entertainment Weekly. She added that she is “so proud to be part of it,” recalling moments that sparked conversations beyond the runway, from Mondo Guerra openly discussing his HIV-positive diagnosis in season 8 to the show’s embracing of size diversity and trans models in later years. Roach echoed that Project Runway “has always been on the cusp of cultural change.”SPENCER PAZERSiriano, a former winner himself, praised the designers’ ambition this season while speaking to Parade: “We have some kind of young Gen Z [designers] who are kind of up on what’s happening right now. And then we have some older designers. We really have such a good mix of people that, I think, is why it makes it really good. And I think that that, for me, is what I like to see.”“We have a trans designer on the show, and she is incredible,” Siriano continued. “And I think her story is incredible, and she’s really, really, really talented. And I’m glad that she gets to share her voice and her world, because fashion was her only outlet that she had. So I think there’s some great things that this show does that others [don’t].”With Klum’s homecoming, Roach’s unfiltered opinions, and Garcia’s impeccable eye, season 21 feels like a celebration of both fashion and the show’s legacy. As Garcia put it in a behind-the-scenes Instagram post in March: “We are soooo back.”How many episodes are in Project Runway season 21?The season will feature 10 episodes, beginning with a two-part premiere.When do new episodes drop?Season 21 premieres on Thursday, July 31, with a two-episode kickoff at 9 P.M. ET. New episodes air weekly on Thursdays at 10 P.M. ET on Freeform, with episodes available to stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+. Check out the full schedule below.Episode 1, “New House; New Rules”: July 31Episode 2, “Feel the Burn”: July 31Episode 3: August 7Episode 4: August 14Episode 5: August 21Episode 6: August 28Episode 7: September 4Episode 8: September 11Episode 9: September 18Episode 10 (Finale): September 25Related StoriesThe Launch: Fashion News to Know This JulyThis Is the Fashion Girl Way to Wear Butter YellowThe Chicest Women Are Wearing This Breezy Trend