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Christian Siriano: ‘Kent State Interns Are Always Amazing’

Visionary designer and 'Project Runway' star visits Kent State’s School of Fashion

Acclaimed New York fashion designer told Kent State University School of Fashion students to practice their craft with dedication, accept criticism and learn from it, but to remember that they will never please everyone.

“You’ll never be everything for everybody,” Siriano told a group of about 40 fashion design students who gathered in Rockwell Hall on the Kent Campus Aug. 6 for the chance to chat with the fashion designer.

Being submerged in a creative place like the fashion school with other talented designers is a great breeding ground for inspiration, he said.

“It’s not about 'Is one thing better than the other?' Let everyone around you inspire you to what they can, and then do what you love and do what you want to do. That’s when the best work happens,” he said. “You be what you want to be, and that designer will be what they’re making. There’s no right or wrong.”

Fashion designer Christian Siriano meets with Kent State School of Fashion students.

Siriano told Kent State Today that he routinely hires Kent State fashion students as interns at his New York showroom, and his personal assistant is a Kent State alumna.

“This is a great school,” he told the group, “I have lots of interns from here that are always amazing. Kent students work harder than everybody.”

Siriano, who rose to fame after winning season four of the design competition show "Project Runway" in 2007, spent more than an hour in the fashion school's design studio talking with students and answering their questions about his craft, his career and the fashion business.

Siriano was the youngest contestant to ever win "Project Runway" and currently stars in the role of mentor on the show. Since launching his namesake collection in 2008, Siriano has been hailed as the king of old-school glamour and is known for his red-carpet designs for celebrities ranging from Oprah Winfrey and Sarah Jessica Parker to Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.

“Christian Siriano is an inspiration to our students,” said Mourad Krifa, Margaret Clark Morgan Director of the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, “He represents the boldness of believing in your own vision and is proof that authenticity, creativity and hard work can rewrite the rules of fashion.”

Siriano said he can’t recall how he began hiring so many interns from Kent State, but they are a constant in his company.

Fashion designer Christian Siriano meets with Kent State School of Fashion students.

“I think it’s because everybody that comes out of here is really talented and really hard-working and just looking for that next thing, which I think is sometimes missing from other universities,” he said, noting how the school’s faculty and staff are always gracious and helpful.

Siriano fielded questions ranging from where he gets his inspiration to his thoughts on sustainability in the fashion industry, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in design, and his tips for crafting a successful career.

“In fashion, what no one knows is how to make it happen, and when you see any designer, you just want to know, and I get that,” Siriano said. “It’s one of those businesses where no one really knows how to be successful, and I think young designers are always looking for that.”

Kent State graduate Emily Gebler, who interned with Siriano in 2018, earned her degree in fashion merchandising in 2019 and was hired by Siriano that same year to be his personal assistant. “Now she runs my life,” he said.

Madison Ross, a senior fashion merchandising major from Canton, Ohio, recently returned from a two-month internship with Siriano in New York.  Ross, who attended Siriano’s visit, said the internship was beneficial because, as a fashion merchandising major, it gave her great exposure to the design side of the business.

“My favorite part was the fashion boot camp that he did. He had about 40 people come into his studio, and he taught them everything from sketching to draping, and I actually got to be a part of it, so I got to get a little insight into his thought process and how he starts from his sketches to the final product, which was absolutely amazing,” Ross said.

Ross chose Kent State for its renowned fashion school and its location close to her hometown. “It’s absolutely amazing, and if felt like home,” she said.

Fashion designer Christian Siriano meets with Kent State School of Fashion students.

Siriano, who is known for his old school glamour designs, said he is a fan of traditional French couture houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Givenchy, which he respects for their history and their archive of work, but also remains a fan of British designer Alexander McQueen, where he studied as an intern.

Siriano said his design of a mirrored gown that actress Halle Berry wore to the 2025 Academy Awards represented a personal goal of dressing Berry for the Oscars. In 2019, Siriano also made Oscar red carpet history for the black velvet tuxedo dress he designed for actor Billy Porter, a garment that made international headlines and recently became part of the Smithsonian Institute’s fashion collection.

Senior fashion design major Sophia Daher of Cleveland, Ohio, asked Siriano for his thoughts on using AI for design.

While he understands that technology plays a role in design, Siriano said he prefers the traditional method of cutting patterns and draping garments by hand. 

“We are all paper patterns by hand, drape every single piece that we make in our entire studio, and we did over 1,000 looks last year,” he said. “That, for me, is still the only fun part of the business.  If you don’t get to make what you want to make and just put it out there and touch it with your hands and drape and develop it, I’m not interested in that. But some people are. The AI world is definitely very interesting.”

Siriano’s discussion at the School of Fashion is part of a year-long collaborative project with the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Fashion Curator Darnell Lisby and its young friends group .  The School of Fashion played a key role in bringing Siriano to Cleveland to  on Aug. 6, at the Gartner Auditorium of the Cleveland Museum of Art, hosted by Column & Stripe in partnership with 

POSTED: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 04:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 04:51 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Lisa Abraham
PHOTO CREDIT:
Robert Christy and Jon Jivan