‘Project Runway’: Who is Christian Siriano, and Who are his Celebrity Clients

If you’ve been watching Project Runway this season then you may have noticed that the reality show has a whole new look.

Unfortunately, the show was the creation of Harvey Weinstein’s The Weinstein Company. After all of the accusations against the Hollywood mogul began to come to light, the future of Project Runway seemed bleak. The production company claimed bankruptcy and no one knew what would happen to the iconic show.

Fortunately, Bravo was happy to take Project Runway back, since it originally premiered on the network in 2004. But with the switching of networks, also came a switching of casts. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn were out and in came Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano.

“Bravo is proud to bring Project Runway back where it all began, and Heidi and Tim will always be a huge part of the legacy,” Bravo said in a statement. “The series will continue its iconic impact with Bravo’s reboot for the next generation of designers and fans.”

While many people are familiar with Kloss, less know Siriano. So who is the designer who is filling Gunn’s shoes?

Who is Christian Siriano?

Long time fans of the show may recognize Siriano as the winner of the fourth season of Project Runway. At the time, he became the youngest person to win the series.

After conquering the competition, the designer launched his “Christian Siriano” collection in 2008. The brand quickly gained popularity and brought in $1.2 million by 2010. In 2012, it was reported by the New York Times that the brand had brought in over $5 million in revenue.

You can buy his garmets at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. He also has a flagship store in Manhattan that opened in September of 2012.

Who are Siriano’s clients?

With such a popular brand, Siriano has garnered quite a large client list.

Taylor Swift wore one of his gowns in her “Wildest Dreams” video, as well as in her Wonderstruck perfume campaigns. Laura Prepon from That 70’s Show and Orange is the New Black had a gown designed by him to wear to the Emmys. Her OITNB costar Danielle Brooks also wore a Siriano gown to the Emmys. When Vanessa Williams made her return to the Miss America pageant this year, she wore a Siriano gown, as well.

Several other stars have worn his designs for red carpets such as Victoria Beckham, Emily Blunt, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Christina Ricci, Sarah Jessica Parker, Solange Knowles, Shailene Woodley, and more.

He most notably dressed Michelle Obama in her royal blue dress at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

Siriano makes dresses for all body types

Fashion is not historically known for being very inclusive, but Siriano doesn’t subscribe to the normal rules of the industry.

When Leslie Jones claimed that fashion designers didn’t want to dress her for the premiere of Ghostbusters, Siriano stepped in.

“What is Dior doing?” he said to Refinery29 of the designers who wouldn’t dress Jones. “What are all those brands doing? I’m not sure, because they have sizes readily available. If I’m a very small brand, and we’re able to do it, a big house can make something very easily — it’s just whether they choose to or not.”

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