Christian Siriano

Christian Vincent Siriano (born November 18, 1985) is an American fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season of American design competition show Project Runway, becoming the series' youngest winner.[1] He launched his namesake "Christian Siriano" collection in 2008, which brought in revenue of over $1.2 million by 2010 and was estimated to have reached $5 million by 2012.[2][3]

Christian Siriano
Siriano at Ozy Fest in July 2018
Born (1985-11-18) November 18, 1985
Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationAmerican InterContinental University
OccupationFashion designer
Label(s)
Christian Siriano
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 2016;
separated 
2018)

Early life

Siriano was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, where he spent a year at Broadneck Senior High School before transferring to Baltimore School for the Arts.[4] The school allowed Siriano to choose fashion design as his course of study.[5][6][7] He has one older sister[8], Shannon, who is a community builder and founder of Rebelle Con.[9] They are of Italian and German descent.[10]

Siriano has said that his parents supported the arts and encouraged him and his sister to pursue creative fields.[8][10] As a child, Siriano studied ballet,[8][10] and on a March 2008 Ellen appearance, he described himself as a "musical theater kid who loved costumes".[11] Siriano's interest in costume design inspired him to pursue a career in fashion.[5][8] He began designing clothes at age thirteen, while working as a hair washer and styling assistant at Bubbles Salon in Annapolis, and eventually began sewing clothes for the salon's annual hair shows.[4]

After being rejected by the Fashion Institute of Technology,[12] Siriano chose to study abroad at American InterContinental University in London, England.[4] Following the recommendation of a teacher during his senior year, he began interning at Vivienne Westwood, and later, at Alexander McQueen,[4] whom Siriano has stated was his favorite designer.[13] Siriano moved to New York City after graduating from college.[5]

Career

Project Runway

Before auditioning for Project Runway, Siriano worked as a freelance make-up artist and made wedding gowns for private clients[8] while also holding a brief intern position at Marc Jacobs.[5] Siriano decided to audition for the show after the suggestion of a friend's mother.[8] During his time on Project Runway, Siriano won three challenges, the most of any contestant that season.[14] Siriano advanced to the show's finals, and won a spot to show a twelve-piece final collection at New York Fashion Week. His collection was made up of Musketeer-inspired couture, featuring ruffles, feathers and headwear.[15] During the finale, which aired on March 5, 2008, celebrity guest judge Victoria Beckham praised Siriano's collection as being a "breath of fresh air" and stated that she would be "honored to wear" any piece of his clothing.[15][16] Siriano was announced the winner of the show's fourth season, winning a fashion spread in Elle magazine, a 2008 Saturn Astra, and US$100,000 to start his own label.[17]

Siriano during the 2008 Project Runway finale

Siriano is mentoring the designers in Season 17 of Project Runway.[18]

Christian Siriano label

Siriano's eponymous fashion line, Christian Siriano, debuted at New York Fashion Week on September 13, 2008.[19] His collection is retailed at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.[2][20] In 2010, Siriano was named one of Crain's Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40, which reported that his line had brought in over $1.2 million in revenue as of 2010.[2] In 2012 the New York Times reported that revenue was estimated around $5 million.[3] In September 2012, the first Christian Siriano flagship store was opened on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood. The store launch included celebrity guests like Heidi Klum, Allison Williams from HBO series Girls, stylist Brad Goreski, and DJs The Misshapes. Siriano launched his first fragrance in early 2014.[21]

He celebrated the 10th anniversary of his fashion line in February 2018 with a runway show of his Fall 2018 collection.[22] The New York City show featured a diverse set of models, including Ashley Graham, Selma Blair, and Danielle Brooks, and was attended by celebrities Cardi B, Meg Ryan, Laverne Cox, and Whoopi Goldberg.[22]

CFDA

Siriano was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in June 2013,[23] after having previously been rejected in 2011.[24]

Mass market collections and collaborations

In 2008, shortly before debuting his fashion line, Siriano began collaborating on several mass market retail collections. In April 2008, Siriano designed a fifteen piece collection for Puma.[25] On December 4, 2008, it was announced that Siriano had signed a deal to design a line of low-cost shoes and handbags for Payless ShoeSource with products to be available for retail in Payless stores in Fall 2009.[26] Siriano's line at Payless expanded in 2011, when he signed on to release four collections for the chain annually, including a higher priced "Gold Collection."[27] In February 2009, Siriano teamed up with LG to create a fashion-themed phone, the LG Lotus (LX600).[28] In April 2009, Women's Wear Daily announced that Siriano had partnered with Victoria's Secret to retail his own makeup line, Christian Siriano for VS Makeup.[29] In November 2009, Siriano collaborated with Starbucks to create a limited edition Siriano brand gift card.[30] Siriano created a series of fashion-themed sponges for cleaning item brand O-Cel-O in the summer of 2010.[31] In February 2011, Siriano launched a limited collection for catalog retailer Spiegel, named "Christian Siriano for Spiegel." Siriano was the first designer chosen for the catalog's designer collaborations line, "Signature Styles."[32] In 2013 Siriano launched a more affordable limited collection of dresses, separates, and accessories for HSN, called "Striking by Christian Siriano."[33]

Films

In January 2014, it was announced by Disney that Siriano would be in charge of creating the ensemble costumes for the fairies, specifically Zarina, in the Disney animated film The Pirate Fairy. Siriano stated that "I loved the challenge of this project. I haven't designed for an animated character before, and I'm excited to take my skills into Zarina's world. She's a unique and new character and I wanted to help make her memorable and iconic. Disney characters are everlasting and I'm so happy as a young designer to help create a bit of Disney history."[34]

In the media

Pop culture
Siriano with Anna Schilling at the My Habit Launch in 2011

Siriano began to receive pop culture attention during his time on Project Runway, primarily for his asymmetrical upswept hair-do and his flamboyant attitude.[1] Several of Siriano's catchphrases were parodied in the media by multiple blogs and television shows like Saturday Night Live, on which Amy Poehler portrayed Siriano.[10][35] On May 1, 2008, Siriano appeared as himself on season 2 episode 15 of Ugly Betty, and designed some of the cast's costumes (including Amanda Tanen's blouse, which was sold in an auction on the internet).[36] In June 2008, Siriano appeared in the music video for R&B artist Estelle's single "No Substitute Love."

In October 2009, Siriano released a book titled Fierce Style: How To Be Your Most Fabulous Self. The book was co-written by Rennie Dyball and featured a foreword by Siriano's former Runway mentor Tim Gunn.[37]

On April 5, 2010, Bravo aired a one-hour special entitled Christian Siriano: Having a Moment which followed Siriano as he prepared to debut his Spring 2010 collection at Fashion Week.[38]

In August 2010, Siriano's name was used in a Craigslist scam. The scam involved a search for women interested in modeling for Siriano's line. Craigslist took down the fake listings, but another scam asking models for an application fee to work for Siriano soon appeared. Upon hearing the news, Siriano posted a warning on his social media accounts: "fyi girls i have never and do not ever look for models on craigslist or online. these photo shoots i'm hearing about are scams! be careful!"[39]

In September 2011, Siriano's boyfriend Brad Walsh said that he hadn't heard Siriano use his Project Runway catchphrase "fierce" since 2008, and that fashion media were stubbornly refusing to take Siriano seriously because of the way he found fame.[40]

Criticism

In March 2008, Margaret Price, a columnist for Bitch magazine, wrote an editorial entitled, "Is Christian Siriano Making A Hot Mess of the Term 'Tranny'?", in which she stated that Siriano's use of the terms "tranny" and "hot tranny mess" were offensive to the transsexual community and that by using the terms he was popularizing an "as-yet unclaimed slur."[41] In a May 2008 interview with Time Out New York, Siriano responded to a question about the lasting power of drag culture by stating, "If you think of heterosexuals, they have white-trash women and trailer parks, and we have drag queens and trannies. I don't know if I'm the one who can explain it. It's, like, drag queens are just there."[42] The remark garnered criticism for its derogatory slang and its comparison of transsexuality and drag queen culture to "white-trash" and trailer parks.[43][44] Siriano released an apology to GLAAD in which he stated, "I mean no disrespect to the transgender community and I never will."[44] Of his comments in the article, Siriano said, "I wish that my words were not taken in that way. When I was speaking, some comments that I made were not used in the article."[44] He further commented that he is "actively working to remove" the term "tranny" from his vocabulary.[44]

DMA lawsuit

In November 2011, Siriano's talent agency, DMA, filed a lawsuit against Siriano, claiming he violated an oral contract and neglected to pay over $53,000 in commission and fees owed to them from his partnership with Payless ShoeSource.[45] Siriano's attorneys released a statement shortly after stating, "It is unfortunate that Designer's Management Agency ("DMA") has commenced a legal proceeding. Christian does not work with DMA and has no obligation to them. DMA concedes that it does not have a written contract. However, based upon an alleged oral contract, it incredibly seeks to obtain commissions in perpetuity. This legal action it has taken against the companies of Christian Siriano is without merit."[46]


In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Siriano and his fashion team volunteered to sew face masks for medical professionals.[47]

Personal life

Siriano is openly gay and lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[43][48][49] Siriano and singer-songwriter Brad Walsh became engaged on July 28, 2013. They exchanged engagement bracelets rather than rings.[50] They were married on July 9, 2016 at their summer home in Danbury, Connecticut.[51] On June 25, 2018, Walsh confirmed that he and Siriano had separated the previous month.[52] As of March 2019, Siriano is in a relationship with Kyle Smith.[53]

Siriano has tattoos of a squid and an octopus on his right arm that he has said are "a tribute to Maryland and the sea life".[5] However, Siriano later contradicted this statement by saying that his tattoos "mean nothing... Totally random."[12]

gollark: =tex O²W
gollark: I'm sure someone on the esolangs server demonstrated that the mathbot calculator (`== whatever`) was Turing-complete.
gollark: This may have been a bad idea.
gollark: Would this be the mystical ”function monad”?
gollark: They practically write themselves.

See also

References
  1. Buckman, Adam (March 5, 2008). "Christian Siriano Wins 'Project Runway'". The New York Post.
  2. Pasquarelli, Adrianne. "40 Entrepreneurs Under 40: Christian Siriano". Crain's New York.
  3. Wilson, Eric (February 8, 2012). "Moving Past 'Fierce'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  4. Tucker, Abigail (May 3, 2008). "Christian Siriano Shows Why He's A Fierce Competitor". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  5. White, Tanika (6 July 2007). "Sheer Talent". The Baltimore Sun.
  6. Sterwald, Drew (July 14, 2008). "Fort Myers Father Proud of 'Fierce' Son's Accolades". Fort Myers Free-Press.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2013-02-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. Moreno, Andrew (November 2007). "Denovo Interview with Christian Siriano". Denovo Magazine.
  9. "About". Rebelle. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  10. "Transcript: 'Project Runway' Winner Christian Siriano". The Washington Post. March 10, 2008.
  11. "11 March 2008". The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Season 5. 2008-03-11.
  12. "Interview with Christian Siriano". gURL.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  13. Dyball, Remmie. "Fierce Factor". People magazine, March 26, 2008, 80.
  14. Wenzel, Ryan (March 11, 2008). "Rubbing Elbows, Making Art". The Advocate. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  15. Cavna, Michael (March 6, 2008). "Christian Siriano Wins On 'Project Runway'". The Washington Post.
  16. "Christian Siriano Wins 'Project Runway'". Us Weekly. March 6, 2008.
  17. Barker, Olivia (May 3, 2008). "'Project Runway' Winner is Fierceness Personified". USA Today. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  18. "Karlie Kloss Will Join Brandon Maxwell And Christian Siriano On Project Runway". Vogue. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  19. "Christian Siriano Review – New York Fashion Week Spring 2010". Meniscus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  20. "Born-Again Christian". Women's Wear Daily.
  21. "Christian Siriano" http://teenvoguefashionuniversity.com/christian-siriano-2013.php
  22. Carhart, Rebecca. "Christian Siriano Celebrated Diversity in the Most Special Way at His 10-Year Anniversary Show". POPSUGAR Fashion. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  23. "Introducing the CFDA's New Members" http://cfda.com/the-latest/introducing-the-cfdas-new-members
  24. Wilson, Eric (2012-02-08). "Christian Siriano Seeks Fashion Industry's Approval". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  25. "Christian Siriano Designs For Puma!". People magazine. April 30, 2008.
  26. "Christian Siriano To Make Payless Fierce With His Shows". People magazine. December 4, 2008.
  27. "Christian Siriano's Payless Collection is Getting Bigger!". InStyle. August 31, 2011.
  28. "Video: Designer Christian Siriano and LG Mobile Phones Combine Talents to Create..."
  29. "Victoria's Secret Beauty Takes Cue From 'Project Runway'". Women's Wear Daily.
  30. "Remember that Secret Starbucks Collaboration Christian Siriano is Doing?". New York magazine. October 30, 2009.
  31. "Christian Siriano is Redesigning a Cleaning Sponge". New York magazine. June 22, 2010.
  32. "Christian Siriano for Spiegel: A Match Made in Catalog Heaven". Racked NY. February 15, 2011.
  33. "Christian Siriano to Launch HSN Collection" http://news.instyle.com/2013/01/28/christian-siriano-hsn-collection/
  34. Warner, Kara. "'Project Runway' Meets 'Pirate Fairy': Christian Siriano Designs New Tinker Bell Movie Costume". Yahoo!. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  35. "'Runway' Winner Reacts With 'F' Word To SNL Skit". People magazine. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  36. "Project Runway's Christian Siriano to Appear on Ugly Betty". Us Weekly. March 27, 2008.
  37. "Fierce Style: How To Be Your Most Fabulous Self". Amazon.
  38. Nashawaty, Chris. "Did You Watch Christian Siriano's 'Moment'?". Entertainment Weekly.
  39. Melillo, Amanda (August 6, 2010). "Dot mess". New York Post. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  40. "Christian Siriano No Reality Diva, Says Boyfriend Brad Walsh" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/16/christian-siriano-brad-walsh_n_966683.html
  41. Price, Margaret (14 March 2008). "Is Christian Siriano Making A Hot Mess of the Term 'Tranny'?". Bitch magazine.
  42. "Let the Gays Begin". Time Out New York. May 29, 2008.
  43. Caplan, David (May 30, 2008). "Christian Siriano: I Didn't Mean To Offend Transsexuals". People magazine.
  44. Romine, Damon. "EXCLUSIVE: Siriano Clears The Air on Trans Trip". GLAAD. Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  45. "Christian Siriano Sued By Talent Agency". New York magazine.
  46. "Christian Siriano Responds To Talent Agency Lawsuit". New York magazine.
  47. "Christian Siriano volunteers to make face masks for hospital workers". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  48. Pompeo, Joe (7 March 2008). "'Project Runway' Winner's BF Unveils Nightlife Photos -- In Park Slope!". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008.
  49. Cohen Blatter, Lucy (June 5, 2008). "Hot Fashion Designer Claims 'Fierce' Williamsburg Loft". The New York Sun.
  50. "Project Runway Winner Christian Siriano Engaged to Musician Brad Walsh". E! Online. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  51. Chan, Stephanie (July 11, 2016). "Christian Siriano marries Brad Walsh". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  52. Park, Andrea (June 26, 2018). "Christian Siriano and Brad Walsh Announce Separation After Almost Two Years of Marriage". W. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  53. Clarendon, Dan (March 11, 2019). "Christian Siriano Raves About 'Fun Love' With New Boyfriend Kyle Smith". Us Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
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