New York ? Heidi Klum got her start in fashion through a German modeling contest and now she’s returning the favor: She is the host and executive producer of “Project Runway,” Bravo’s new TV series that promises to pick the next hot fashion designer.

“I had a soft spot to do this; I wanted to give someone a chance who might not have had it,” she says.

After 11 years in the business, Klum says she knows the fashion playing field isn’t necessarily even.

“Project Runway,” which will follow 12 contestants through a series of fashion challenges, is more of a documentary than a reality show, according to Klum. Most of the episodes were shot in advance but the three finalists will have a runway runoff during New York Fashion Week in February.

“We’re going to show the public what it’s like to be a designer. I think people will be interested to see what it’s really like, how talented designers are. What we’re looking for is who is talented, not who is the funniest, not who is good looking,” Klum explains.

The judges should be able to spot talent. The roster includes Michael Kors, whose upcoming spring 2005 collection has already enjoyed glowing reviews; Nina Garcia and Anne Slowey from Elle magazine; Constance White, style director for eBay; and Klum, who has worn designer duds in almost every major fashion magazine in the world.

As a model, it’s her job to wear whatever is thrown at her, but Klum, 31, says some of the outfits she’s worn for photo shoots are hardly her taste. “For the cover of Time (Style & Design), I looked like Tweety Bird. We needed instructions on how to put the dress on, but those things have to be there in fashion so we have something to talk about. … If everything was a black spaghetti-strap dress, fashion would be boring.”

The task for the “Project Runway” participants is to balance creativity, quality and salability, all in a limited amount of time and with minimal resources.

Heidi Klum, center, with the aspiring designers featured on Bravo's new TV series 'Project Runway.' The show will follow 12 contestants though fashion challenges, culminating in a New York Fashion Week runway runoff in February.

Daniel Franco, a 32-year-old from Los Angeles, says, win or lose, having his designs on TV is the best marketing tool he could have imagined — even better than the hallowed pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar or Elle.

“Fashion programs allow designers to get their personalities out there and that’s what people are buying. The Midwest seems to relate to personality and hopefully if they like your personality, they’ll buy your clothes,” says Franco.

The aspiring designers featured on “Project Runway” aren’t quite amateurs — Franco, for example, has been featured on Jane Pauley’s talk show twice as a fashion expert — but they are still searching for their big break. The prize of having their designs photographed for Elle by publication director and shutterbug Gilles Bensimon and getting $100,000 in seed money and a mentorship from Banana Republic would go a long way toward achieving that goal.