Fashion designer Seth Aaron Henderson — the two-time winner of the reality TV show “Project Runway,” whose designs have made red carpet appearances, draping stars such as Lady Gaga, Grace Jones, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry — has brought his talents to Idaho Falls.

Henderson was recently named the new lead designer at Fin Fun, the Idaho Falls-based, family-owned manufacturer of fabric mermaid tails and other swimwear.

The company hired Henderson in January. The hire is the first step toward a mid-level retail venture for Fin Fun, known for its wildly popular, patented mermaid tail. Henderson will lead the charge on a new collection of girls’ and women’s fashion — and possibly men’s fashion in the future.

“We are excited to welcome Seth Aaron Henderson to the Fin Fun team,” said Steve Browning, Fin Fun’s president and CFO, in a news release. “He brings new energy and fashion focus to Fin Fun’s growing apparel business.”

Henderson, a San Diego native, moved to Idaho Falls with his wife from the greater Portland, Oregon, area. He comes to East Idaho with decades of designing experience, although this is his first full-time designing position with a company.

After winning the reality TV show “Project Runway” twice, Henderson began freelancing, designing sustainability-inspired clothing for companies such as Earthtec and SolarWorld and fashionable iPad cases for Maroo. He also started his own clothing line, SA, which is sold on QVC, the television shopping channel.

Henderson’s mentor, Tim Gunn, advised him that it was the right time in his career to pursue a full-time position designing for a company, Henderson told the Post Register recently.

“Tim Gunn said, ‘You’ve done all this, you’ve done all this, now you should do this and learn the inner workings of corporate business,’” Henderson said. “I thought, ‘Hey, I’ll try a job that has dental and health care.’”

“I never thought it would be for a mermaid company in Idaho Falls, but I’ve interviewed with a lot of other companies and they just didn’t seem right,” he said. “I met these guys and interviewed, and it felt right so I did it. They’ve got a good bunch here, a lot of talented people that work in this building.”

Working in Fin Fun’s Idaho Falls administrative offices, Henderson debuted his first Fin Fun designs last month at Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Desert, California, a fashion show featuring some of the world’s best designers.

Henderson’s designs were inspired by Sirens, singing female creatures from Greek mythology, who lured unsuspecting sailors to shipwreck. He used images from the Freeform show “Siren” to inspire materials and patterns, which resemble fish scales, moving water and other oceanic imagery.

The El Paseo show, which Henderson called an “editorial show,” did not necessarily feature designs that will be sold in stores. It was meant to showcase his ideas and direction for the upcoming collection.

“You go crazy and do whatever you want,” Henderson said of editorial shows. “(Designers) have their outlandish vision of the collection. From this, comes ready-to-wear.”

Following the fashion show, Henderson began working on Fin Fun’s new consumer collection, a line of beach and resort wear for girls and women, which will hit retail stores next year.

“We just signed one of the biggest showrooms and agents in New York,” Henderson said. “He said this line fits in Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, that mid area, which is great.”

Henderson’s first Fin Fun collection will be shown in August at the WWDMAGIC retail trade show in Las Vegas.

In their downtime, Henderson and his wife are exploring Idaho Falls, shooting guns, with help from employees at The Gun Shop on North Holmes Avenue, and trying restaurants. They plan to try BJ’s Bayou in Roberts next.

“It’s cold,” Henderson said of Idaho Falls. “But the food seems great.”