Project Runway season 12 winner Dom Streater is basking in her recent victory while trying to stay focused on her upcoming collection, she spoke to Enstars about on Oct. 22. 

The 24-year-old won the design competition beating out finalists Brandon McDonald, Alexandria von Bromssen and Justin LeBlanc. The finale aired Oct. 17 on Lifetime and featured the designers showing their collection at the 2013 New York Fashion Week. Scandal star Kerry Washington joined in as guest judge, sitting beside Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen.

After being given $9,000 and six measly weeks to create a 10-look collection for spring -- in which one piece had to be made with an unconventional material -- Streater came out victorious. Reflecting on the day at Fashion Week that changed her life forever, the Philadelphia native said she started off not being nervous.

However, that changed very quickly. 

"I can honestly say that before even getting to that runway that morning and seeing it, I was relatively calm but as soon as I saw that runway and I saw the Project Runway sign, I immediately just got overwhelmed with emotion," she said. "The entire day was just a worldwin of emotion and just getting models dressed and having a spectacular show. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and hopefully I'll get to have it again."

Streater hopes to make a mark in the fashion industry with her upcoming collection. The designer is working on her fall/winter 2014 line, which she is "really, really excited" about presenting February at Fashion Week.

"I'm trying to not let the momentum of winning die," she added, "and just get into producing collections every season and just really be into it."

The stress of being on Project Runway was intense for Streater and out of all the judges, she labeled Garcia "the harshest critic."

"But that's because i held her on such a high pedestal," she said of the Marie Claire creative director. "I really love the world of magazines and Nina, coming from a magazine, she was kind of the one I wanted to please the most. I went into [the competition] wanting to please Nina."

Her experience on the show helped her evolve as a designer and showed her how much she can accomplish. Streater said she was amazing to learn she could do "a lot more in a smaller amount of time." and the opportunity also resulted in her better developing her work ethic.

Her "personal favorite" challenge while on the show and the one she called "close to my heart," was the HP task where the contestants got to design their own prints.

"I would do that one for an entire season if I could," she said. 

With a spot saved for her backstage at Fashion Week in the winter and her eyes on the future ahead, she gave some advice to up and coming designers that may get want to give up early on in their efforts to make it big.

"I would tell them not to give up," she said. "It's really easy to get discouraged because there are so many fashion designers in the world and it's a very, very saturated industry, but if you have something to say, then not to give up and put your dream out there." 

Tags: Project Runway