This season ended with the judges selecting Yannik Zamboni as the competition winner.
Zamboni received $1 million for continuing to build his fashion brand and a mentorship with Amazon Fashion.
Zamboni is from a small Swiss town, making him the first non-American to win the series.
He founded his own brand, Maison Blanche, in September 2020.
His designs are quite distinctive, with deconstructed clothing and a focus on the importance of sustainability.
It’s very exciting, and I’m overwhelmed.
I’ll still make a run at figure things out.
Everything goes super fast, but it’s amazing.
It’s finally out.
What is your next big step or your next goal for your brand?
Tomorrow is our New York Fashion Week debut.
That’s the very big next step.
Then, [the plan is] to grow the business, to go from local to global.
How’s prep for the show going right now?
I imagine it’s crazy.
Yeah, it’s crazy, but everything is actually so far going smoothly.
We’re doing good.
What was the biggest challenge for you while you were on [“Making the Cut”]?
The biggest challenge was, for sure, the time restrictions we had.
Everything had to be done very, very fast, and that was the most challenging for me.
Were there any specific weeks or specific … assignments [that were the most challenging]?
The Italian mafia funeral, the group assignment, was really challenging just having seven hours.
[During] that, I remember, we are all going crazy.
Do you feel like you learned anything from your time in the competition?
That challenging part, the time restriction, teaches you to listen to your intuition and make fast decisions.
As well, for sure, you have to think of how to do an accessible look.
I just did whatever I wanted.
So I learned how to do accessible looks.
Are there any designs from your time on the show that you were particularly proud of making?
I really like the winter assignment, that runway look.
I was really happy about that one.
What was the relationship with all of them behind the scenes?
We had a really, really good relationship.
We all cared about each other and helped each other.
It was more of a helping-each-other kind of competition.
We were, like you said, more friends than competitors.
Was it ever difficult because of that, because people are getting sent home every week?
What’s it been like for you watching the episodes as they come out?
It was very surreal to see yourself on TV, but you get used to it.
Have you been enjoying it now that everyone finally knows that you won?
What’s it been [like] seeing the reaction of viewers?
That’s something I guess I have to get used to.
What were judging panels [like for you]?
Was that stressful, or were you ever looking forward to it?
What was their overall energy?
Then it got real.
Do you feel like any of the judges were the harshest?
you could stream all episodes of “Making the Cut” Season 3 on Prime Video.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
