Lake Norman HS grad voted off 'Runway'

April Johnston repeatedly bet on black during her long run on "Project Runway," and had a winning streak with her monotone but striking designs that brought her to the Final Five.

On Thursday night, though, the 22-year-old Lake Norman High School graduate's luck ran out. She became the 13th person eliminated from the Lifetime reality show.

Before her ouster, judge Michael Kors told Johnston, "You have made a version of this garment so many times I can't count. There's never any joy in your clothes." Added judge Nina Garcia: "I am not certain that you have any range besides this."

Johnston was 21 when the show was being shot, making her the youngest member of the competition. She grew up in Mooresville and is a 2010 graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

In a telephone interview Friday afternoon, she defended her choices.

“As far as using black all the time, I felt like I was a little stuck in a rut, and I almost ended up feeling like I was creating a collection,” she said. “But from my viewpoint, everything that I created was modern and forward-thinking, and I thought that ‘Project Runway’ was about finding a designer that was up-and-coming and forward and modern, and that’s who I am as a designer.

“I wasn’t gonna send something down the runway in hot pink. I mean, that’s who I am, and that’s what I stuck to, and I still stand by that.”

Johnston, who currently resides in Savannah, is pouring her efforts this fall into a company and clothing line she founded called Mangled Courtesan (www.mangledcourtesan.com).

“Basically I’m just trying to get my stuff manufactured and in stores as soon as possible,” she said, “and really kind of live my dream.”