Make it work

We might not have the looks of Heidi Klum or the wit of Tim Gunn, but we sure can present a challenge straight out of their reality show, Project Runway —and add a little Chicago twist. Instead of holding auditions with thousands of up-and-coming designers, we turned to the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy’s on State Street, the new city-sponsored program that gives six emerging local designers studio space to work in, as well as lessons in marketing and merchandising their designs over the course of a year. Four of the six designers agreed to participate in our challenge to create a piece of clothing inspired by an assigned Chicago building, spending only $50 on supplies. Luckily, no one was “auf’d” at the end of this challenge.