CALL IT ‘PROJECT L.A.’

In just three seasons, Bravo’s “Project Runway” has evolved from a TV trifle into an industry obsession. It was even recognized at last month’s L.A. Fashion Awards as a “Fashion Inspiration.” Scoring one of the 15 spots on the show can be a career booster (think Season 2 winner Jeffrey Sebelia), or . . . not so much (Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll is reportedly homeless). Yet relatively established designers now think pragmatically about auditioning, the way one might consider looking for a new job. Such is the power of the media in a business that’s all about aesthetics.

Los Angeles has produced some of the strongest and most compelling characters on the show: Sebelia, Kara Saun, Nick Verreos and “one-name-is-all-I-need” Santino. The crop of locals for Season 4, premiering Thursday at 10 p.m., is no different. Meet Sweet P, Simone LeBlanc, Rami Kashou and Kit Pistol -- before any of them does something he or she might later regret, or hears the most dreaded words to an aspiring designer’s ear: auf Wiedersehen.

SWEET P

Fashion Pedigree

The 46-year-old Angeleno, nee Kathleen Vaughn, got her nickname in the all-girl motorcycle club Hell’s Belles, but Sweet P’s clothes are better suited to the nightclub or the bedroom. After four years at Bebe, she launched a sleepwear line, Pomme, with Apple Via, which evolved into her own line, Nest. She recently left a position designing for Harkham. The reason? Too many trips to China. “I’m a newlywed!”

Signature Style

“It’s all about fantastic fabrics and forward silhouettes. It’s simple, sophisticated, definitely hip.” On her sketch pad: the ultimate sack dress.

Personal Muse

Now: Chloe Sevigny. “She’s someone who has a really great personal sense of style and would wear something that is not ordinary -- something that she doesn’t see everybody wearing yet.” Then: Sonny and Cher. “I would just sit and draw outfits for them in front of the TV. I liked Bob Mackie’s outfits, but I liked mine better.”

Welcome to Reality

Contestants have to impress Tim Gunn and pass a psychiatric exam. “Honestly, I was pretty happy about that stuff because it made me feel safe. But also, when I passed, I was, like, at least I’m not crazy.”

Secret Weapon

Her optimism. “I like to bring light and joy and happiness. During the show I jokingly complained to the producers about stuff, to make them laugh, but I’m not really a complainer. Not to sound too corny, but I think reality’s what you make it.”

What’s Next

Hopefully soon, the relaunch of Nest, with someone else running the business and production side. “Even though I’m good at it, the part I love is designing, and I need to just do that.”

SIMONE LEBLANC

Fashion Pedigree

Raised in Northern California by bohemian parents, LeBlanc, 32, was an intern with local fashion designers as a teenager, “getting educated however I could.” She spent two years in Paris, studying at Parsons and working for a young couturier. Back in the States, styling and custom design paid the bills while she developed the first season of TS Bloom, a new line of women’s wear that uses organic, sustainable and end-of-run fabrics.

Signature Style

Feminine pieces in soft colors, with historical details such as 1920s dropped waists or oversized collars. “There’s a timelessness about them and an undercurrent of romanticism, but they’re never frilly. They’re a bit louche.”

Personal Muse

Anais Nin. “I’m looking at old photographs of her and June Mansfield, and I love the nuanced layering and the laissez-faire attitude they have.”

Welcome to Reality

“I was amazed by the multiple levels of involvement, all the people it takes to actually make what the viewer sees happen. It was a challenge having a camera on me even while I was trying to sleep, but human beings are adaptable creatures. You get very comfortable very fast.”

Secret Weapon

Her integrity. “I like to keep my eyes open. Fashion is a global industry. The way that we produce things, the way we create, affects many different cultures. I try to keep my awareness of that going as much as possible.”

What’s Next

Getting TS Bloom into stores for Spring ’08. “Of course we’d love to do something with Barneys Green.”

RAMI KASHOU

Fashion Pedigree

Designing clothes since the age of 7, Israeli-born Kashou is already a Los Angeles fashion veteran at 31: He’s presented numerous collections at Smashbox; regularly dresses celebrities for the red carpet; is an alumni of GenArt; and was nominated for an L.A. Fashion Award this fall, where he showed a new line of formal and bridal gowns. Still, “it’s a tough business. I wear most of the hats here.”

Signature Style

From his Arab heritage comes a love of draping, which is mostly seen in his formal pieces. His ready-to-wear line is more tailored, yet still feminine. In 2006, Jessica Alba wore a turquoise cocktail shirtdress with puffed short sleeves to the VMAs. “Her stylist told me she’s never been photographed so many times in one dress.”

Personal Muse

His mother. “She was the inspiration for the collection of gowns I showed at the Fashion Awards. She passed away when I was 5. She was Miss Jordan, and she loved fashion. I think I got that from her. Even though I didn’t get to know her so much, she’s present in my life through this.”

Welcome to Reality

“It’s not a vacation. I didn’t think it was going to be, but it really hit me when I got there. It’s not an easy environment to be in.”

Secret Weapon

His passion. “I have an endless amount of passion [for] what I do, and I think that comes across. I’m not a very loud, flashy person. I take my work very seriously.”

What’s Next

Going into production on the Spring ’08 ready-to-wear line and dressing a new client, Dita von Teese. “She can do no wrong.”

KIT PISTOL

Fashion Pedigree

“L.A. pride” through and through, Kit Pistol (born Christina Scarbo), 26, met Samantha Harris through a job at the WeHo boutique, Jack Henry Couture. Today, styling Harris on “Dancing With the Stars” keeps her busy -- maybe too busy. “She works so much, and I adore her, but my own line is dearest to my heart.” The FIT grad was selected as part of GenArt’s New Garde in 2006, and last fall she showed with the BOXEight Collective.

Signature Style

Street wear meets avant-garde, with a Victorian edge and lots of buttons and buckles. “I do have a love for excess. I like to patchwork different fabrics all together that might not necessarily make sense, and I use old couture hand-sewing techniques.”

Personal Muse

Kit Pistol. An alias that Scarbo created in 2004 while living and studying in Florence, Kit Pistol represents feminine strengths and wiles. “Clothing does change your mood; it changes your attitude.”

Welcome to Reality

“My biggest fear going to the show was having a Wendy Pepper on my show, or having one of those really difficult personality conflicts. But everyone this season’s pretty cool.”

Secret Weapon

Her ambition. “I was really confident in the portfolio I was bringing. I didn’t by any means discredit the other people applying, but there was something in me that day when I went downtown to the Standard, that I was like, I really feel like if I apply I can do this.”

What’s Next

Launching the Kit Pistol ready-to-wear line, while continuing her custom client work. “I would be really sad to miss the fun part of being a designer, which is seeing people in your clothes.”