Heidi Klum: " Project Runway Is in Good Hands with Karlie Kloss..."

Heidi Klum Says Project Runway 'Is in Good Hands' with Karlie Kloss: 'I'm Excited to See It'

After 16 seasons, Heidi Klum knew that Project Runway was in need of change.

In early September, the model and longtime judge/host of the fashion design competition series announced she was leaving the show alongside mentor/host Tim Gunn.

Two familiar (and famous) faces are filling their spots: supermodel Karlie Kloss and Project Runway alum and designer Christian Siriano. And Klum is confident in their abilities to reinvigorate the show.

“I don’t think they need advice. We left Project Runway in great hands, with Karlie [Kloss] and Christian Siriano, and I think they are going to do a great job,” Klum, 45, told PEOPLE at the amfAR Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday.

According to Klum, Kloss, 26, and Siriano, 32, taking over is timely — and necessary.

“I can see how they are going to change it, because it needed some change. After 16 seasons, it was becoming stale. I’m excited to see how it will progress,” she admitted. “It’s great to have new people and new visions for this next iteration of Project Runway. I’m looking forward to how they make the show their own!”

While Klum said that her time on the series — she and Gunn joined in 2004 — “was great,” she admitted that “it needed something new too.”

She added, “and I feel like, with new people and the way that they do it, it will have that, and I am excited for that.”

Klum and Gunn’s Project Runway days may be over, but it won’t be long before the pair is back on TV; they’re developing a reality fashion series with Amazon Prime Video.

“After 16 incredible seasons, I am saying ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Project Runway, a show that I was honored to host and help create,” Klum said in a previous statement, announcing her departure. “I am incredibly proud of the show, and it will always have a special place in my heart. I am so appreciative of the dedicated fans, and most of all, I am grateful that we could shine a light on creativity and help launch so many talented designers’ careers. I’m most excited that my journey with my dear friend and colleague, Tim Gunn, is far from over. We will be partnering with Amazon for a new show, and we’re excited for everyone to see what we’re designing next!”

Said Gunn in his statement, “I am grateful to Project Runway for putting me on a path I never, in my wildest dreams, thought my career would take me! I am so proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking process that showcased talented young designers as never before. Most importantly, I am indebted to our incredible fans, they are the heart and soul of what we do, and continue to inspire us to raise the bar in this arena. I’m excited for them to see what’s next, as I partner with Amazon and Heidi Klum on our next great ‘fashion’ adventure.”

Their upcoming series “will be a fresh take in the reality space and will appeal to a global audience who are entertained by competition, storytelling, and authenticity. Additionally, Amazon Fashion will create a shopable experience for viewers,” according to a press release from the streaming giant.