Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell and Elaine Welteroth Dish on Welcoming Back Former 'Project Runway' Contestants for Season 20

Project Runway is going back to its roots!

The iconic Bravo hit kicks off its Season 20 premiere on Thursday, June 15, as judges Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell and Elaine Welteroth welcome back all stars from previous seasons to compete for redemption.

The Elle Magazine Editor-in-chief, the esteemed fashion designer and the NYT Bestselling author speak exclusively with OK! about seeing returning creatives stretch their abilities, how their advice for the former contestants differed from previous seasons and their decisions to join the beloved reality series.

"It was so emotional for me and it is such a nostalgic moment," Garcia — who has held court on the judge's panel since its 2004 launch — says. "It also made me feel so proud of the important show we created that both changed the fashion industry and the TV landscape."

"For me, as a designer, my critiques this season are much more concise, direct and about the construction," Maxwell says of guiding the seasoned pros. "I think sometimes when you're getting to know people each season, it's about who they want to be and figuring out who they are. But being so familiar with so many of the designers' work, their processes and knowing they've had time apart from it and have grown, helped them to get to the very best place."

"These are designers who have managed to stay in business, some of them for 20 years," Welteroth adds. "We were critiquing them, but in some ways it felt like we were consultants. These are people who know who they are. They know who they're designing for, and they know what they stand for."

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When Maxwell and Welteroth were approached to join Garcia as a judge, the decision for both the creative director and the former Teen Vogue editor did not come easy.

"I have given myself this freedom to do the things that I feel really passionate about," Welteroth shares. "I took my time to arrive at my 'hell yes' on this. Brandon and I kind of held hands and jumped into this together. We made a path. We're like, 'We're in this together!' But I have never looked back and I have never regretted it."

Looking back, even the Columbia native initially had her reservations about signing on during Season 1. "It was thanks to Michael [Kors] that I finally said yes," Garcia explains. "But I was very hesitant. It's all about learning. It's something that I always say to people, never say no to an opportunity. Always say yes, because you don't know where that's going to take you."