Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work
Photo by Scott McDermott
Those who knew Tim Gunn as a child would not have predicted that he would become the American fashion legend, author, and TV personality he is today. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with a father who worked as an FBI agent and a mother who helped found the CIA library, Gunn was a shy child with often debilitating social anxiety. Sensing a love of the arts, he enrolled in Washington’s Corcoran College of Arts and received a bachelors’ degree in fine arts. Soon afterward, he began teaching design at Corcoran College. That experience led him to the role of assistant director of admissions at Parsons School for Design in NYC. He stayed there until 2007, eventually achieving an assistant dean position.
While Gunn was transforming fashion at Parsons into an extraordinary and well-respected department, Project Runway approached him to co-host its first season in 2004. It was an instant success. He received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2013 for his ongoing contributions to the reality TV show. On the show, Gunn is celebrated for offering frank, acute criticisms delivered in a kindly manner. His phrases—“Make it work” and “Carry on”—are now Gunn trademarks of positive encouragement.
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