CHARLESTON — One day he was in Charleston, and the next day he was out.
Fashion designer to the stars Christian Siriano made a quick stop in the Holy City for a brand collaboration and fashion show event at the Gaillard Center.
During his visit, he managed to squeeze in some luxury shopping on King Street and a Southern meal at a local fine-dining staple.
The New York-based designer — whose designs have been worn by celebrities including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah Winfrey — is a mentor for up-and-coming designers on the reality show “Project Runway.”
A low-key Gaillard Center fashion show included designs of unconventional materials.
In Charleston, he served as a judge for “Material Runway,” an event sponsored by luxury bath and kitchen brand Grohe, with whom he recently launched a design collaboration.
The inaugural Material Runway competition, called “Reinvented Competition,” was held at the 2024 Charleston Fashion Week.
The competition featured four local architecture firms, LS3P, MPS, Liollio and Little Diversified, which created avant-garde dresses using unconventional materials provided by interior design vendors.
Guests were asked to dress in all black so the colorful designs could take center stage.
Siriano’s own creations for his Grohe collaboration — inspired by the fluidity and movement of water — were displayed in the ballroom lobby in a museum-style display.
“I thought it was really fun to do and I’m obsessed with all the details of their work,” Siriano said. “It became kind of a design love affair in a way. Anything can inspire a piece.”
The evening had plenty of theatrical flair, with aerialists greeting guests and designers narrating the designs as they came down the runway.
Despite the star power, the visit flew mostly under the radar.
Apparel made from unconventional materials were front and center at the recent Material Runway fashion show at The Gaillard Center.
The event wasn’t listed on the Gaillard’s calendar, and tickets were sold quietly through Eventbrite.
