A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • November 2014
HonCC grad finishes third on Project Runway By Ka LĀ staff
Kini Zamora tried – and failed -- five times to get on the “Project Runway” reality TV show for fashion designers. And when he still wanted to try again, his mother, Valerie, urged him not to do it. “I didn’t want to see him disappointed and hurt,” she said. Fortunately, Zamora went for it anyway – and made it this year into the final four of the show, finishing third. New Zealand designer Sean Kelly was the winner of the show’s 13th season. “I just had to keep trying,” Zamora told a crowd of several hundred fans last month when he returned home to Honolulu Community College, the place where he got his start in the fashion business. He made the appearance a week before the final results were aired on the Lifetime channel. “I have no regrets about my designs. I stayed true to who I am as a designer,” Zamora said. Zamora said he was grateful for all he learned at HonCC "It feels amazing. It feels like, it's still surreal to me coming back to my alma mater where I've learned all my skills. It's been seven years since I've been back, so it's kind of crazy, kind of awkward in a good way to be back in school," he said. Zamora said the best advice he could give students hoping to follow in his footsteps is being yourself. "Follow your creativity and never let it block you and just be creative the whole way and the followers will come later. Just stick to your guns," he said. Zamora said he was proud to be the first Hawaiian on Project Runway. “I think people will see the local
Hon CC photo
Kini Zamora returned to campus last month and spoke to several hundred students, faculty and fans in the fashion department, where he got his start in the industry spirit and aloha we all have here,” he said. “I feel like I'm representing my culture and my hometown very well. We have a strong aloha spirit always willing to give and help people even if it’s a competition. Zamora was following in the footsteps of Honolulu CC Continued on Page 4
"I have no regrets about my designs. I stayed true to who I am." -- Kini Zamora