Christian Siriano talks mentorship, LGBTQ rights and fashion at his Brooks Museum exhibit

Christian Siriano, the American fashion designer known for show-stopping gowns, suits, and gown-suits, has molded a career dressing an array of celebrities from Michelle Obama to Taylor Swift. Now, some of his most recognized pieces are on display at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

The exhibit, "People are People," opened Thursday to hundreds of Memphian dressed to kill. Among the dozens of pieces in the gallery are outfits that trace back to noteworthy moments in time, like the peacock-blue dress former First Lady Michelle Obama wore when she uttered the now immortal phrase, "When they go low, we go high."

The exhibit marks a reinvigoration of the Brooks' history of showcasing single designers, something that exhibition curator Patricia Daigle said hasn't been done since 2018. Bringing the exhibit to fruition at the Brooks was the product of more than a year of careful planning.

Amid the festivities, Siriano had a few minutes to chat with The Commercial Appeal about what his work means to him, being a mentor on Project Runway, and being a visible LGBTQ designer in a time where political divisions are producing legislation meant to curtail LGBTQ rights.

The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.

The Commercial Appeal:Was there any rhyme or reason for bringing this exhibit to Memphis?

Christian Siriano: When they told me that this museum wanted to do something, I think originally, we weren't even sure if it was going to be a big display. And then I was like — well, I'm happy for you guys to do as much as you want, sure! Because I think it would be really cool for people (in Memphis) to see it.

The CA:Are there any pieces tonight that are particularly meaningful to you or impactful?

Siriano: I mean, I think they, all in a way, mean different things, you know, for me and for I think, for people it's cool to see Michelle Obama's dress when she gave one of the greatest speeches in her career. That's cool. And then two first ladies, that's nice. It's great to see a dress for Taylor (Swift), one of the most famous women in the world. Yeah. Lizzo won her first Grammy in that dress downstairs. And I think Leslie Jones' dress is very important. That was when she kind of blasted the world that no one wanted to dress her and so I dressed her for a big premiere, and that felt really cool. Lily Gladstone's dress is down there. That was from the Critics' Choice Award, and she's like the first indigenous woman to ever be nominated for an Oscar. I think it's really cool we got to get that in here. I begged them. I was like, "I really want this because I think it'd be cool for like a young generation to see that." So yeah they — all do have their own thing, in their own way.

The CA:You have come full circle from being a contestant on Project Runway to now being a mentor. What does that role mean to you, now that you've switched from mentee to mentor?

Siriano: I mean, the reason why I took that job was because I wanted the younger generation to have a mentor that was actually, like, really in the business. I think that's the way you can really get the best advice. I mean, I studied from teachers that worked for designers, so I think that was important for me. I wanted to like show them how (the business) is. So, if they have a red carpet challenge on the show, and I'm helping them, I'm like, "Well, I just dressed 10 people at the Oscars last week, I know something about it." So hopefully they listen, but they don't always.

The CA: This is a quick switch-up, but right now it's not a good time for queer youth, especially in the South. Tennessee has passed more laws targeting LGBTQ youth and adults than any other state. Do you have a message for young, queer youth who want to pursue a career in creative arts?

Siriano: Yeah, I mean, this is part of why this (exhibit) is here and why we're calling it "People are People." We have a dress that (Jonathan van Ness) wore on the cover of a magazine, and we have Billy Porter's look. I hope that people are seeing that there are still champions out there in this world. But it is hard. I mean, my biggest thing is like — I grew up in a very small-minded town myself, and it was really hard. We all have our struggles, but I think my biggest thing is that art or any creative field is the best outlet in the world that you can possibly have. Because no one can ever take that away. I hope that the young generation, like, sees that there is hopefully a path somewhere. I grew up being a young gay boy, judged for so much, for so long. And I feel like but that never goes away. It really doesn't.

The CA:I think I know what you mean, as a queer person myself. When does that history of discrimination bubble up for you? Does it come up in your work?

Siriano: It does. It definitely can be frustrating at times. But, I use what I do have, which is my voice and fashion, which is dressing people that I think are important culturally, and putting my work on these people and not the people I don't support. So, that's my only weapon, that's what I have. You know, I dress people that actually care about other people. We're so segregated in our world, and we're all, just like, humans you know? It's just a funny world that we're in right now. I talked to a bunch of fashion students this morning, and I felt like they were very like hopeful, which was nice. I think that's cool to see that the young generation is not giving up. They're actually tougher. They're tougher than us. I don't know how old you are, but I'm like, I'm old. I'm tired. And they're not.

The CA:Switching back to your work for this last question — do you think you'll ever design suits?

Siriano: Oh we do lots of suits!

The CA: Ah, I probably should have known that.

Siriano: We've done so many suits. There's a suit downstairs that Zendaya wore. It's really cool — all fuchsia. I feel like we do suits so much. All the time, actually and it's been really nice. When you go through the exhibit, actually, you'll see Michelle Obama's suit from her book tours. We dressed (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) for the State of the Union. We made a beautiful suit for her. I've seen a lot of women actually have been wearing a lot of suits lately, and it's nice, it's powerful.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why there is a Christian Siriano exhibit at Brooks Museum in Memphis