Aesha Scott “Didn’t Know Neoprene Could Be Sexy” Until Bishme Cromartie’s ‘Project Runway’/ ‘Below Deck’ Challenge Win

Last night’s Project Runway / Below Deck crossover episode was one for the Bravo history books! While all of the yachties loved their reinvented formal uniforms from their randomly paired designers, there could only be one winning pair. That honor belonged to designer Bishme Cromartie and Below Deck Down Under chief stew Aesha Scott, whose fashionable and, most importantly, functional ensemble wowed the judging panel. Made entirely out of neoprene fabric, the outfit consisted of a chic white shirt with mesh paneling to make it breathable, a nautical-inspired short black skirt to highlight the legs, and a gorgeous black jacket with an anchor detail on the back that the judges went wild over.

“I loved, loved my uniform,” gushed Scott over Zoom. “I desperately wish that we could produce them for me to wear on the show.” A fan of Project Runway since her teen years, Scott called her experience on the show “pretty surreal.” “I really tried to strut my stuff walking down that runway because I never thought I’d be there,” said Scott. Scott also shared that she was “over the moon” to be randomly paired with Cromartie. From the moment the yachties arrived ashore to surprise the designers at the beginning of the episode, Scott locked in on Cromartie: “I was like, ‘Please, I want to go with him. He seems so my vibe. He seems so fun.”

As the client for once in her career, Scott was happy to be catered to while collaborating with fan favorite Cromartie. Scott reported that Cromartie “listened so intently to what I wanted” and drew up a sketch that absolutely wowed her. “I had trouble envisioning what I wanted the new uniform to look like, but what he drew was exactly the look I was looking for,” said Scott in disbelief. As a designer who knows and celebrates the female form, Cromartie delivered everything Scott wanted while staying true to his own aesthetic. Quite a feat!

Read Decider’s post-mortem Zoom chat with Scott in which we chatted with her about working with Cromartie, leading off the runway show, and the yachties fun night out with the designers.

DECIDER: How did you feel when you found out that Bishme won the challenge and that it was his first win on the Project Runway All Stars season?

AESHA SCOTT: I was over the moon for him. Truly, I could not have been happier. It almost felt like I had won a competition as well [laughs], but I didn’t. The reinvented uniform was all him. Bishme so deserved to win, not only because he’s a great designer, but also because he’s such a lovely human.

Just like you on those mega yachts, Bishme knows how to cater to his clients. What was it like to collaborate with him on the outfit?

Yes, I am constantly giving myself to other people in my line of work, so to have someone fussing about me felt pretty nice [laughs]. He listened so intently to me, even though I was having trouble envisioning what I wanted the new uniform to look like. Miraculously, the design he came up with was exactly the look I was trying to describe. He drew it so quickly, and he sewed it so quickly too! He was done hours before anyone else. It’s just a testament to how talented he is.

Plus, the yachties’ formal uniforms were due for a refresh.

It was cool getting uniforms designed specifically for us. Now, I don’t think our Below Deck uniforms are bad at all. We’ve got good retailers, but their yachting clothing is pretty generic and just customized with the boat’s logo. So to have something custom-made for me felt so exciting. I loved, loved the uniform and desperately wish that I could wear it on the show.

You also had a fun moment with mentor Christian Siriano in the work room when you pushed back on his critique that your uniform showed off too much leg.

It felt quite nice to push back a little bit. I disagreed with him only because I knew what would work. At the end of the day, Christian, though he’s an incredible designer himself, hasn’t worked in the yachting industry, and I have. I know all the little nuances of what makes a uniform appealing to the guests. The charter guests expect the crew to look good. They are down with us getting a little bit of leg out!

It’s all about the tips!

Exactly! Do it for the tips. The skirt doesn’t need to be so short they’ll see what you ate for breakfast, but just short enough that it’s classy sexy [laughs].

Bishme’s use of neoprene fabric was truly inspired. Did you know that was the material he chose?

That was a total surprise to me. I just stipulated that I wanted something that, if I sweated, would hide any rivulets of sweat dripping down the fabric. That’s a concern because it’s always so hot on board. I never thought of neoprene before and didn’t know that neoprene can be sexy. I thought it was only used for diving. Bishme’s choice of that was ingenious, especially with the breathable panels along the side.

The jacket Bishme made, almost as an afterthought, really completed the look. Guest judge Luann de Lesseps went wild for that anchor detail on the back. Did you appreciate that added detail as well?

For a chief stew, everything is about the details. Whether we adding little touches in someone’s cabin or arranging table decor, yachting is about taking that extra step. If I were ever to wear that jacket on boat, the guests would also go crazy for it. They notice all those little details. They would appreciate that extra step for us to be presented nicely. Also again, the jacket shows how quick and talented Bishme is. He was able to make the jacket special because he finished the main parts of my outfit so early. He was twiddling his thumbs a bit and thought, “What else can I make to add to this?”

You also got to start the runway show as the lead model. Were you pinching yourself?

That was so exciting. From watching the show when I was a kid, I always wanted to know what it would feel like to walk on that runway. Plus, I’m on reality TV so I secretly love the attention [laughs]. It was a really cool moment for me.

At the bar, we saw the yachties practicing their walks with the designers. How did that night stack up against some of the wild crew nights out we’ve seen on Below Deck?

Compared to a Below Deck night out, it was pretty tame [laughs]. We had a very good time though. It was really cool to hang out with the designers away from a work setting, though we were all so tired. We had just finished Bravo Con a week or so before, and the designers had been working these super long days for weeks. We all had just a couple of drinks and then made the smart decision to head on home. However, I really enjoyed seeing them in that casual environment without their measuring tapes and their pins. We could actually talk to them without being their clients for a few hours.

Gary King did manage to hit on the very married designer Anna Zhou. Were you aware of that in all the merriment?

I think a vague part of me was but everyone’s so used to Gary hitting on everyone that you tend to just ignore it [laughs].

Last question, have you been in touch with Bishme since filming the episode?

Yes! We’ve hung out a couple times since. I really, really love that man. He’s just so fun. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season and cheer him on! I’m really rooting for him.