American designer Christian Siriano earned his rise to fame as the winner of Project Runway’s fourth season, being the series’ youngest winner. He then launched “Christian Siriano,” his namesake debut in 2008, leading to over a decade of immense success, even being named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018.
For his first solo exhibit, Siriano has teamed up with the SCAD Museum of Art and Rafael Gomes, the director of fashion exhibitions at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, titled ‘People Are People.’ Featuring looks from the designer’s archive, ‘People Are People’ represents the beginning of Siriano’s career to where he is now, including some of his most famous pieces, crafted for starlets such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, and more.
The exhibit is open at the SCAD Museum of Art to the public and the SCAD community from now until January 30th, 2022.
We sat down with Siriano to discuss this latest honor, what SCAD means to him, and his advice for rising professionals in the fashion industry.
What drew you to partnering with SCAD on your first solo exhibition?
When SCAD first reached out, I said, ‘what an honor, because I’m still a young designer, I’m 35, and to have a full retrospective of my work is incredible. We wanted to celebrate these different types of people, and I felt like that hadn’t been done before. There’s not a lot of young designers that have had the career that I’ve had. I’ve loved SCAD, I’ve been a mentor here in the past and have supported the students here for a long time, so it’s cool to be back in this way.
Many of our readers watched your debut on Project Runway. What was that experience like being the series’ youngest winner and having that confidence at such a young age?
I just really love creating and making clothes. Sometimes, I don’t even know who it’s for, and it’s just because I love doing it. If nobody wears it, I don’t even care anymore. It’s almost like being a painter or a sculptor where you don’t create anything for anyone. I get to do that more as my career gets better and I become more successful. I can do things that I want to do, which has been great. This exhibit shows the progression of archival work, over ten years old, to now with three months old pieces. It’s cool to see that progression.
What was the best piece of advice you learned through moving to London and interning at houses such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen?
Rejection is always a beneficial push for any young creator. It definitely changed my creative process. It was very different at American InterContinental University. Not getting into FIT at the time was a great motivator for me to say, you know what, why don’t I do something radical, move to Europe and study in London, try something totally different.
What does this exhibit mean to you personally? What does it mean to students both at SCAD and studying elsewhere?
I hope it’s inspiring for anybody who loves fashion and wants to be a designer. I think it shows that you can be a talented young person and accomplish these sorts of feats and represent all of these different genders, body types, etc. Sometimes it’s not even the most famous person in the world wearing your design that fulfills your career. It can be an “underdog,” so to speak, that becomes your most iconic look. There are no rules. You never know who’s going to call the next day and what the next opportunity is. I hope that’s what people see downstairs. I’m a big user of color and texture, which is also unique to see compared to other designers. Overall I just want to inspire young artists.
What advice do you have for the blossoming designers currently studying here?
When it comes to design, you really have to find what you’re best at and go for it. It can’t be a mixture of different focuses, like evening wear to athleticwear, etc., especially during this day-in-age. In regards to business, it’s the drive. On my team, I’m uninterested in anyone that’s not obsessed with what they’re doing. If it’s packing a box, be obsessed with packing that box. Be obsessed with what it is that you do. Humility is also very important for the young entrepreneur.
A special thanks to Christian for speaking with us!
Interview by Olivia Hawkins and Tommy Drennan.
Photo Courtesy of Olivia Hawkins.