In the seventh season of “Project Runway” hosted by supermodel mom Heidi Klum, sixteen new designers will battle to showcase their collections in Bryant Park at the New York Fashion Week. The brand new season premieres on Lifetime at 10 pm EST on January 14, 2009.

Project Runway returns to the big Apple with our favorite judges, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors, as well as the iconic mentor Tim Gunn. The prize for the best designer includes a feature in Marie Claire Magazine, opportunity to sell their collection at Bluefly, a $50,000 HP and Intel technology suite, and, $100,000 in cash.

The “Models Of The Runway”, where 16 aspiring models paired with PR designers will compete for a prize of $25,000, also returns for a second season. Check out the complete Project Runway and Models Of The Runway cast list including small bio below the fold.

Project Runway & Models Of The Runway Cast & Bios Below

The Project Runway Season Seven Designers:

• Amy Sarabi, 26 – Hometown: Plano, TX; Resides in Oakland, CA
• Anna Lynett, 23 – Hometown: Whitefish Bay, WI; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Anthony L. Williams, 28 – Hometown: Birmingham, AL; Resides in Atlanta, GA
• Ben Chmura, 30 – Hometown: South Meriden, CT; Resides in Tampa, FL
• Christiane King, 30 – Hometown: Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivorie/Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Emilio Sosa, 43 – Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Resides in New York, NY
• Jay Nicolas Sario, 31 – Hometown: The Philippines; Resides in San Francisco, CA
• Janeane Marie Ceccanti, 28 -Hometown: Willows, CA; Resides in Portland, OR
• Jesse LeNoir, 25 – Hometown: Painesville, OH; Resides in Orlando, FL
• Jesus Estrada, 21- Hometown: Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Resides in San Diego, CA
• Jonathan Joseph Peters, 29 – Hometown: Woonsocket, RI; Resides in Providence, RI
• Maya Luz, 22 – Hometown: Santa Fe, NM; Resides in New York, NY
• Mila Hermanovski, 40 – Hometown: Dallas, TX; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Pamela Ptak, 47 – Hometown: Pittsfield, MA; Resides in Riegelsville, PA
• Ping Wu, 33- Hometown: Chendu, Sichuan Province, China; Resides in Chicago, IL
• Seth Aaron Henderson, 38 – Hometown: San Diego, CA; Resides in Vancouver, WA

The Models of the Runway Season Two Contestants:

• Alexis Broker – Hometown: Denver, CO; Resides in Highlands Ranch, CO
• Alison Gingerich – Hometown: Leesburg, OH; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Brandise Danesewich – Hometown: Saskatchewan, Canada; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Brittany Oldehoff – Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL; Resides in Miami, FL
• Cerri McQuillan – Hometown: Dublin, Ireland; Resides in New York, NY
• Elizaveta Melnitchenko – Hometown: Salzburg, Austria; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Holly Ridings – Hometown: Roscoe, IL; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Kasey Ashcraft – Hometown: Salisbury, MD; Resides in Los Angeles, CA/Miami, FL
• Kelly Gervais – Hometown: Livingston, NJ; Resides in Haledon, NJ
• Kristina Sajko – Hometown: Zagreb, Croatia; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Lorena Angjeli – Hometown: Albania; Resides in New York, NY
• Megan Davis – Hometown: Des Moines, IA; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Monique Darton – Hometown: Brainerd, MN; Resides in New York, NY
• Sarah Bell – Hometown: Cincinnati, OH; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Sophia Lee – Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Valeria Leonova – Hometown: Tula, Russia; Resides in New York, NY