Tim Gunn was born in Washington, D.C., and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the Corcoran College of Art and Design at George Washington University. He joined Parsons School of Design in 1982 and held several positions there, eventually becoming chair of its fashion design department. His work in fashion education established his reputation before television brought him wider recognition.

Gunn began appearing on Project Runway when the series premiered in 2004. He served as the designers’ mentor for 16 seasons and became closely associated with his advice to “make it work.” He later hosted Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style and Under the Gunn, expanding his television work beyond the original competition series.

After leaving Project Runway in 2018, Gunn reunited with Heidi Klum for Making the Cut on Amazon Prime Video. The fashion competition ran for three seasons from 2020 to 2022. Gunn did not return when Project Runway was revived on Freeform in 2025, and as of August 2026, he has no regular hosting role.