Christian Siriano's Journey into Fashion
American Designer, Christian Siriano, was the youngest person to win fashion design competition Project Runway in 2007. This title came with prizes including an editorial feature in Elle Magazine, the opportunity to sell among some of the biggest names in fashion on bluefly.com, a 2008 Saturn Astra car, and $100,000 to start his own line. With money and publicity, Siriano began his namesake brand in 2008. Largely and rapidly successful, by 2010, he made the list of Crain's Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40 and by 2012, his company's revenue was estimated to be near $5 million. This article will focus on this bright designer's career so far, the background that led him to it, and the glistening career path ahead of him.
Christian Siriano was born on November 18, 1985, in Annapolis, MD. Always artistically inclined and encouraged to pursue creative fields by his parents, who were avid supporters of the arts, he began designing clothes for his family members at only 13 years old. It was clear to him and his family from the beginning that his raw talent had potential to make it in this industry and his artistic ability was first cultivated around this time, as he was able to enroll in one of the top 5 public arts high schools, Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland.
There, with an early interest in costume design, he studied fashion and worked as a hair and makeup artist for shows and advertisements. After graduating, Siriano chose to go abroad for his university studies. He moved from Maryland to London to study at American InterContinental University in London, England. While there, he was blessed to work under two of the biggest names in London fashion, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
After graduating, Siriano moved back to America, this time to its fashion capital, New York City. There he interned for the brand Marc Jacobs, as well as with private clients as a makeup artist and wedding gown designer, before a friend's mother suggested he audition for Project Runway-advice that would make all the difference for him.
He won the 4th season of the show, and a year later, his brand debuted at New York Fashion Week in September 2008. In 2012,he opened his first storefront in Manhattan-still there today, called The Curated by Christian Siriano.
Siriano has proven one of the biggest success to come from popular TV show, Project Runway-which was not entirely unexpected, as he was the only contestant at the time and for years after that had won four consecutive competitions.
Here are just some of Siriano’s winning looks from the show:
Christian Siriano for Project Runway
Along with his clothing line, Siriano has also used his artistic ability in a variety of collaborations of different mediums throughout the years. In 2008, Siriano’s collection for Puma marked the beginning of these collaborations, and led to numerous partnerships over the next few years, including with Payless ShoeSource, Victoria's Secret, Starbucks, the Home Shopping Network, and even LG-creating a fashion forward phone for the brand called the LG Lotus in 2009. His successes and unmatched ability to network, also led him to the opportunity to design for Disney's animated film, The Pirate Fairy, which was released in 2014.
Still best known for his red carpet creations, here are some of our favorite looks by Christian Siriano:
Best Red Carpet Moments:
The work ethic, artistic ability, and cultivated raw talent of inspiring American designer, Christian Siriano, has led to this brilliant designer's early success in a difficult industry, and reminds us that, with the necessary dedication, anything is possible. Returning to his roots, not only can you review his success in Season 4 on Project Runway, but, beginning Season 17, you can see this extraordinary talent as a mentor and a judge on the show as well. For more information on this designer and his life, he has released a book called, "Fierce Style, How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self," that is available online HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment