Meeting Christian siriano
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to meet a famous fashion designer. This January, that dream came true. I remember I found out from my roommate, Emily, who is a fashion design major. The VCUarts Fashion department sent out an announcement on Canvas (our school website) saying that Christian Siriano will be in town for his work being showcased at the Branch Museum in Richmond and that while he’s in the area, he will be teaching a limited number of VCU fashion students an illustration workshop.
I was honestly so off and on about going or not, I had absolutely no illustration experience at all. Luckily, I knew a few of my friends who also were merchandising majors who were in the same boat as me, which made me feel better and made me want to sign up to attend. I am so glad I did because I realized I am better at drawing than I thought and I got to meet the one and only Christian Siriano!
Having opportunities like this at VCU makes me grateful to go to this school and be a part of the fashion program. It brought me out of my comfort zone and also gave me the opportunity to meet someone who is very important to the fashion industry and has inspired me and so many other aspiring fashion professionals.
I remember after calling my mom and telling her about all of it. How I got a picture with him, what I learned from him, and how when he was walking around to look at everyone’s finished product, he pointed to mine and my friend’s work and said “That’s not bad for Fashion Merch majors” and that sentence will stick with me for the rest of my life.
A few months later, I see what Christian is up to on Instagram, whether its a fashion week, Project Runway, or even him being in reels for Elle Magazine, and smile knowing I’ve met a true inspiration. I hope I get to meet him again someday because his work is breathtaking and I’d love to learn more about his process and how he got to where he is now. It was truly a memory that will carry on with me throughout my entire fashion career.
