Christian Siriano
Encyclopedia
Christian Siriano is an American fashion designer. Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season
of American reality show Project Runway
, becoming the series' youngest winner. Shortly after winning Runway, Siriano launched his fashion line, Christian Siriano, which as of 2010 has brought in revenue of over $1.2 million.
. He has one older sister, and is of Italian
and German descent.
Siriano has said that his parents supported the arts and encouraged him and his sister to pursue creative fields. As a child, Siriano studied ballet
, and on a March 2008 Ellen
appearance, he described himself as a "musical theater kid who loved costumes". Siriano's interest in costume design
inspired him to pursue a career in fashion. 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. Siriano spent a year at Broadneck Senior High School
before transferring to Baltimore School for the Arts
. The school allowed Siriano to choose fashion design
as his course of study, and openly embrace his homosexuality.
After being rejected by the Fashion Institute of Technology
, Siriano chose to study abroad at American InterContinental University
in London, England. Following the recommendation of a teacher during his senior year, he began interning at Vivienne Westwood
, and later, at Alexander McQueen
, whom Siriano has stated is his favorite designer. Siriano moved to New York City
after graduating from college.
, Siriano worked as a freelance make-up artist for Stila
cosmetics and made wedding gowns for private clients while also holding a brief intern position at Marc Jacobs
. Siriano decided to audition for the show after the suggestion of a friend's mother. During his time on Runway, Siriano won four challenges, the most of any contestant that season (followed by Rami and Victorya, who each won two). 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.
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. Siriano was announced the winner of the show's fourth season, winning a fashion spread in Elle
magazine, a 2008 Saturn Astra, and $100,000 US to start his own label. In addition, Siriano was awarded the season's "Fan Favorite" award, based on votes from viewers. He received a check for $10,000 US, which was presented to him by season three
Fan Favorite Michael Knight
. As part of his prize for winning Project Runway
, Siriano's first collection for Bluefly
began retailing on the website shortly after his win.
and Neiman Marcus
. In 2010, Siriano was named one of Crain's Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40, which reported that his line has brought in over $1.2 million in revenue as of 2010.
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
. In May 2008, Siriano designed virtual prom
wear for Gaia Online
's virtual prom. In the summer of 2008, he launched a maternity line, Fierce Mamas, with Moody Mamas founders Elise Rosemarin and Marta Abrams. 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. 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."
In February 2009, Siriano teamed up with LG
to create a fashion-themed phone, the LG Lotus (LX600)
. 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. In November 2009, Siriano collaborated with Starbucks
to create a limited edition Siriano brand gift card. Siriano created a series of fashion-themed sponges for cleaning item brand O-Cel-O in the summer of 2010.
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."
s and television shows like Saturday Night Live
, on which Amy Poehler
portrayed Siriano. In March 2008, Siriano appeared as a celebrity guest on season 1 episode 11 of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel
, where he critiqued the contestants' catwalks and designed an outfit for one of the contestants, Holly Kiser
, to model on the runway. (Kiser went on to win the competition). On May 1, 2008, Siriano appeared as himself on season 2 episode 15 of Ugly Betty
, and designed some of the cast's costumes (such as Amanda Tanen
's blouse, which was sold in an auction on the internet). 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
.
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.
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. Upon hearing the news, Siriano posted this on Twitter: "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!"
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."
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 queen
s and trannies. I don’t know if I’m the one who can explain it. It’s, like, drag queens are just there." The remark garnered criticism for its derogatory slang
and its comparison of transsexuality and drag queen culture to "white-trash" and trailer parks. Siriano released an apology to GLAAD in which he stated, "I mean no disrespect to the transgender community and I never will." 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." He further commented that he is "actively working to remove" the term "tranny" from his vocabulary.
s of a squid
and an octopus
on his right arm that he has said are "a tribute to Maryland
and the sea life". However, Siriano later contradicted this statement by saying that his tattoos "mean nothing... Totally random. And yes, it's permanent, but I'm young. In twenty years, there's totally going to be ways to remove it."
Siriano is openly gay
and lives in the Chelsea
neighborhood of New York City
with longtime boyfriend, singer-songwriter Brad Walsh
.
Project Runway (season 4)
Project Runway Season 4 was the fourth season of Project Runway, Bravo's reality competition for fashion designers. The season premiered November 14, 2007. Returning as judges were supermodel Heidi Klum; fashion designer Michael Kors; and Nina Garcia, Elle magazine fashion director...
of American reality show Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, becoming the series' youngest winner. Shortly after winning Runway, Siriano launched his fashion line, Christian Siriano, which as of 2010 has brought in revenue of over $1.2 million.
Early life
The son of Joye and Peter Siriano, Siriano was born and raised in Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. He has one older sister, and is of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
and German descent.
Siriano has said that his parents supported the arts and encouraged him and his sister to pursue creative fields. As a child, Siriano studied ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, and on a March 2008 Ellen
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
appearance, he described himself as a "musical theater kid who loved costumes". Siriano's interest in costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
inspired him to pursue a career in fashion. 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. Siriano spent a year at Broadneck Senior High School
Broadneck High School
Broadneck High School is a school in the United States, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland on Green Holly Drive, in the city of Annapolis and next to the town of Arnold. The Bruin is the school's mascot...
before transferring to Baltimore School for the Arts
Baltimore School for the Arts
Baltimore School for the Arts is a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland and is a part of its public school system. BSA offers concentrations in classical music, theater, dance, theater production and visual art...
. The school allowed Siriano to choose fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
as his course of study, and openly embrace his homosexuality.
After being rejected by the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
, Siriano chose to study abroad at American InterContinental University
American InterContinental University
American InterContinental University, commonly called AIU, is an international for-profit university with open admissions owned by Career Education Corporation ....
in London, England. Following the recommendation of a teacher during his senior year, he began interning at Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
, and later, at Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
, whom Siriano has stated is his favorite designer. Siriano moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after graduating from college.
Project Runway
Before auditioning for the fourth season of Project RunwayProject Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, Siriano worked as a freelance make-up artist for Stila
Stila
- History :Stila Cosmetics was founded in 1994 by celebrity makeup artist Jeanine Lobell. The name Stila was derived from the Italian word "stilare," which can mean "to pen"...
cosmetics and made wedding gowns for private clients while also holding a brief intern position at Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 60 countries. He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997...
. Siriano decided to audition for the show after the suggestion of a friend's mother. During his time on Runway, Siriano won four challenges, the most of any contestant that season (followed by Rami and Victorya, who each won two). Siriano advanced to the show's finals, and won a spot to show a twelve-piece final collection at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. His collection was made up of Musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
-inspired couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
, featuring ruffles, feathers and headwear.
During the finale, which aired on March 5, 2008, celebrity guest judge Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
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. Siriano was announced the winner of the show's fourth season, winning a fashion spread in Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
magazine, a 2008 Saturn Astra, and $100,000 US to start his own label. In addition, Siriano was awarded the season's "Fan Favorite" award, based on votes from viewers. He received a check for $10,000 US, which was presented to him by season three
Project Runway (season 3)
Project Runway Season 3 was the third season of Project Runway, Bravo's successful reality competition for fashion designers. The third season of the show, with Heidi Klum returning as the host and Tim Gunn as the designers' guide, began airing on July 12, 2006...
Fan Favorite Michael Knight
Michael Knight (fashion designer)
Mychael Knight is a fashion designer.-Biography:Michael Anthony Knight, Jr. was born on April 11, 1978 in Nuremberg, Germany to Pamela and Michael Anthony Knight, Sr....
. As part of his prize for winning Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, Siriano's first collection for Bluefly
Bluefly
Bluefly, Inc. is an American electronic commerce company. Headquartered in New York, New York, it was one of the first online retailers to sell fashion in a sophisticated manner. Ken Seiff and a team of six founded Bluefly.com, Inc. in 1998 and built it in less than four months from the time it...
began retailing on the website shortly after his win.
Label and mass market collections
Siriano's eponymous fashion line, Christian Siriano, debuted at New York Fashion Week on September 13, 2008. His collection is retailed at Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
and Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
. In 2010, Siriano was named one of Crain's Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40, which reported that his line has brought in over $1.2 million in revenue as of 2010.
In 2008, shortly before debuting his fashion line, Siriano began collaborating on several mass market
Mass market
The mass market is a general business term describing the largest group of consumers for a specified industry product. It is the opposite extreme of the term niche market.-General:...
retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
collections. In April 2008, Siriano designed a fifteen piece collection for Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
. In May 2008, Siriano designed virtual prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
wear for Gaia Online
Gaia Online
Gaia Online is an English-language, anime-themed social networking and forums-based website. Gaiaonline was founded in 2003. but the name was changed to GaiaOnline.com in 2003 from go-gaia by its owner, Gaia Interactive...
's virtual prom. In the summer of 2008, he launched a maternity line, Fierce Mamas, with Moody Mamas founders Elise Rosemarin and Marta Abrams. 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
Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource is a discount footwear retailer founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1956 that is owned by Collective Brands, Inc. In 1961, it became a public company as the Volume Shoe Corporation which merged with the May Department Stores Company in 1979. In the 1980s, Payless was widely known in the...
with products to be available for retail in Payless stores in Fall 2009. 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."
In February 2009, Siriano teamed up with LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
to create a fashion-themed phone, the LG Lotus (LX600)
LG Lotus (LX600)
LG Lotus is a phone Introduced on September 10, 2008. The phone is marketed as a fashion forward device by Sprint Nextel. It was designed by fashion designer Christian V. Siriano....
. In April 2009, Women's Wear Daily
Women's Wear Daily
Women's Wear Daily is a fashion-industry trade journal sometimes called "the bible of fashion." WWD delivers information and intelligence on changing trends and breaking news in the fashion, beauty and retail industries with a readership composed largely of retailers, designers, manufacturers,...
announced that Siriano had partnered with Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
to retail his own makeup line, Christian Siriano for VS Makeup. In November 2009, Siriano collaborated with Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
to create a limited edition Siriano brand gift card. Siriano created a series of fashion-themed sponges for cleaning item brand O-Cel-O in the summer of 2010.
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."
Send The Trend
In November 2010, Siriano co-launched Send The Trend, an online retail site that provides personalized fashion recommendations for shoppers. Siriano currently serves as the creative advisor for the site.Media
Siriano began to receive pop culture attention during his time on Project Runway, primarily for his asymmetrical upswept hair-do and his flamboyant attitude. Several of Siriano's catchphrases were parodied in the media by multiple blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s and television shows like Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, on which Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
portrayed Siriano. In March 2008, Siriano appeared as a celebrity guest on season 1 episode 11 of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel
Make Me a Supermodel (U.S. TV series)
Make Me a Supermodel was an American reality television modeling competition series based on the British reality series of the same name. Following an audition preview on January 2, 2008, the series premiered January 10 on the cable television network Bravo...
, where he critiqued the contestants' catwalks and designed an outfit for one of the contestants, Holly Kiser
Holly Kiser
Holly Kiser is an American fashion model. She was the first winner of Make Me a Supermodel.- Career :Holly is currently signed with L.A Model Management in Los Angeles, Connected Models in Hong Kong and Red eleven in Auckland, New Zealand....
, to model on the runway. (Kiser went on to win the competition). On May 1, 2008, Siriano appeared as himself on season 2 episode 15 of Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, and designed some of the cast's costumes (such as Amanda Tanen
Amanda Tanen
Amanda Tanen Sommers is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Columbian adaptation...
's blouse, which was sold in an auction on the internet). In June 2008, Siriano appeared in the music video for R&B artist Estelle
Estelle (musician)
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
's single "No Substitute Love
No Substitute Love
"No Substitute Love" is the third single from English hip-hop artist Estelle's second album Shine. The song is an improvised cover of both Reggae performer Half Pint's "Substitute Lover" and George Michael's "Faith". The song is her second international single in Europe.-Music video:The music video...
."
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
Tim Gunn
Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative...
.
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.
In August 2010, Siriano's name was used in a Craigslist
Craigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
scam. The scam involved a search for women interested in modeling for Siriano's line. Upon hearing the news, Siriano posted this on Twitter: "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!"
Criticism
In March 2008, Margaret Price, a columnist for BitchBitch (magazine)
bitch, whose tagline is feminist response to pop culture, is an independent, quarterly magazine published in Portland, Oregon with more than 50,000 readers. bitch magazine is one branch of the reader-supported non-profit organization bitch media...
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."
In a May 2008 interview with Time Out New York, Siriano responded to a question about the lasting power of drag culture
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
by stating, "If you think of heterosexuals
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
, they have white-trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
women and trailer parks, and we have drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
s and trannies. I don’t know if I’m the one who can explain it. It’s, like, drag queens are just there." The remark garnered criticism for its derogatory slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
and its comparison of transsexuality and drag queen culture to "white-trash" and trailer parks. Siriano released an apology to GLAAD in which he stated, "I mean no disrespect to the transgender community and I never will." 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." He further commented that he is "actively working to remove" the term "tranny" from his vocabulary.
Personal life
Siriano has tattooTattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s of a squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
and an octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
on his right arm that he has said are "a tribute to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and the sea life". However, Siriano later contradicted this statement by saying that his tattoos "mean nothing... Totally random. And yes, it's permanent, but I'm young. In twenty years, there's totally going to be ways to remove it."
Siriano is openly gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and lives in the Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with longtime boyfriend, singer-songwriter Brad Walsh
Brad Walsh
Brad Walsh is an American singer and music producer best known for his dance remixes of pop artists including Britney Spears, Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga as well as his own albums.-Career:...
.