What Is Christian Siriano's Net Worth?
Christian Siriano is an American fashion designer, producer, and author who has a net worth of $10 million. Christian Siriano has been a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America since 2013, and he won the Bravo reality competition "Project Runway" in 2008 and served as an executive producer on the series in 2019. He debuted his first line, Christian Siriano, in 2008 at New York Fashion Week, and by 2010, it had brought in more than $1.2 million in revenue. Christian has styled celebrities such as Billy Porter, Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga, and he designed the fairy costumes for the 2014 animated Disney film "The Pirate Fairy." Siriano has published the books "Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self" (2009) and "Dresses to Dream About" (2017), and he has guest-starred on the television series "Ugly Betty" (2008) and "Difficult People" (2016) and lent his voice to the "Portrait of a Lackey on Fire" episode of "The Simpsons" (2021). Christian was featured on "Forbes" magazine's 2015 "30 Under 30" list and "Time" magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2018" list. In 2016, he was named Designer of the Year at the AAFA American Image Awards and Designer of the Decade by the non-profit organization Couture for a Cause.
Early Life
Christian Siriano was born Christian Vincent Siriano on November 18, 1985, in Annapolis, Maryland. Siriano's parents split up when he was a child, and he has an older sister named Shannon, who founded Rebelle, a "supportive network for women." Christian attended Broadneck Senior High School for a year, then he transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied fashion design.
In a 2007 interview with "De novo Magazine," Siriano said of his early years:
"I had a great childhood! My family is so supportive of the arts and creativity. My sister was a dancer and I was always backstage with set and costume designers. I actually tried all types of hobbies [including] sports, painting, dance, and all the arts."
In a 2008 appearance on "Ellen," Christian said that he was a "musical theater kid who loved costumes." He started designing clothes when he was 13 years old, and around this time, he worked at Bubbles Salon as a styling assistant and hair washer. Siriano eventually began making clothes for the salon's hair shows. Christian applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology but wasn't accepted, so he chose to study at London's American InterContinental University instead. He interned at Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, and after college, he moved to New York City.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Career
Before he auditioned for "Project Runway," Siriano interned at Marc Jacobs, freelanced as a make-up artist, and designed bridal gowns for private clients. A friend's mother suggested that Christian audition for the show, and he ended up winning the fourth season and was awarded $100,000 as well as a 2008 Saturn Astra and an "Elle" magazine fashion spread. Siriano was 21 at the time, becoming the youngest contestant to win "Project Runway." He returned to the show during seasons 17, 18, and 19 to mentor designers. In 2008, Christian collaborated on many mass market retail collections before he launched his eponymous fashion line that September. He designed a 2008 collection for Puma and a 2009 line of shoes and purses for Payless ShoeSource. Siriano has also designed an LG phone (the LG Lotus) and a Victoria's Secret make-up line (Christian Siriano for VS Makeup) as well as clothing collections for Spiegel and Home Shopping Network.
In 2010, Christian was featured on "Crain's" list of the "Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40," and in 2012, he opened his first flagship store in Manhattan. In 2018, he celebrated his fashion line's 10th anniversary with a runway show featuring Selma Blair, Ashley Graham, and Danielle Brooks. The runway show was attended by celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan, Cardi B, and Laverne Cox. Siriano has designed numerous gowns for actor/singer Billy Porter, and the black tuxedo gown Porter wore to the 2019 Academy Awards earned praise from many, with "Harper's Bazaar" saying the ensemble "looked worthy of its own Academy Award." After the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Christian volunteered to make face masks for healthcare workers, tweeting, "If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help."
Personal Life
Christian is gay, and he married singer-songwriter Brad Walsh on July 9, 2016, after a three-year engagement. Siriano and Walsh separated in May 2018, and later that year Christian began dating Kyle Smith, a fellow designer. Siriano filed for divorce from Walsh in April 2021. In November 2011, Christian was sued by his talent agency, DMA. The agency alleged that he had violated an oral contract and that he owed them more than $50,000 in fees and commission from his partnership with the discount footwear chain Payless ShoeSource. Siriano's attorneys said of the lawsuit, "Christian does not work with DMA and has no obligation to them. DMA concedes that it does not have a written contract. However, based upon an alleged oral contract, it incredibly seeks to obtain commissions in perpetuity. This legal action it has taken against the companies of Christian Siriano is without merit."
Real Estate
In the past decade, Christian has purchased homes in Danbury, Westport, and Easton, Connecticut. His Easton home was built in 1744, and it was previously an inn that was visited by George Washington. Siriano told "Town & Country" in late 2022, "I really bought this house with my mom in mind. A lot of Connecticut homes are such overwhelming estates, and this felt more warm. The previous owners lived there for over 30 years. There's a fireplace in every room. It sits on three acres and feels very private."
