Hometown: Coral Gables, FL
Previous season: Project Runway Season 13
Marie Claire: What is your fashion motto?
Fäde Zu Grau: Stand out! Be off! In fact, my slogan is "way off thinking", the word "off" spelled with two f's.
MC: What is your favorite color? Why?
FG: Gray! Light gray cotton looks just fabulous, especially if it is bleached by the sun over time. It reminds me of easy days on the beach.
MC: What is your favorite food?
FG: Anything healthy! No sugar. Most people don't know that I used to be big as a child until I educated myself about food, especially sugar. Every single day I have to make conscious decisions about what I eat. Living healthy is very important to me, and with lots of discipline and a good workout routine, I keep things under control. It's a life-long battle, where education is key. I never eat stuff that hardly has any nutrients, like pizza.
MC: What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own?
FG: A white, long-sleeve shirt with the word "atheist" on it. I wear it all the time and often get into interesting conversations with people. After appearing on Season 13, I received many invitations from organizations and even gave a speech about my secular life at the American Atheists Conference in Memphis last year.
MC: What are your hobbies outside of fashion?
FG: Freestyle or hip-hop dancing to some '80s and '90s music can keep me going for hours. And I love driving around in my car—a Crossfire that I painted myself. I also like to make furniture and plan to do something in music some day.
MC: What is your dream design challenge, if you could create your own on the show?
FG: For many people, being resourceful and working with what they have is a challenge. I find use for everything, from fabric scraps to random stuff that people discard. So, it would be interesting to see what designers can come up with when there is no shopping trip involved and the access to materials is restricted. A push to their creative limits. I definitely would win that one!