Christian Siriano is in his New York Fashion Week element at Chelsea Industrial, where his 54-piece Fall/Winter 2026 collection is being presented to the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Monica, Natasha Leon, and Julia Fox. A few hours before, though, Siriano was backstage focusing on a collection he’s worked on even longer: a 7-piece line of skincare appropriately named Runway. When I admit I can’t believe he’s the first to lock in that name, Siriano agrees. “I’ve said it like 10 times,” he laughs. “I said, the fact that we have ‘Runway’ is insane.”
It’s the television show Project Runway that brought the designer into our homes in 2007, though he reminds me that he started as a makeup artist back in the early aughts. “I really wanted to launch with makeup,” he says. “But I didn’t feel ready. I use skincare every day, and so does everybody I know. So I felt like that was something that I would understand.” Siriano runs an American atelier, after all, and has long understood the power of a collab after almost two decades in the industry behind the scenes and in front of the camera. He’s honest about the why of stepping into the beauty space, noting that yes, sales are important, and yes, the line is fuchsia because he knows his customer and they love the color (“pink is a neutral”). Plus, beauty brings in a new, accessible price point.
“I really wanted my friends who have normal jobs, the girls who work in my office, people to be able to buy it,” Siriano says. For now, everything from the Radiance Ready Moisturizer (his sister’s favorite) to the caffeinated Stage Bright Eye Cream (his favorite) is under $50. Both are being applied to models as he explains the “natural and new-as-possible” marine biotechnology he’s spent two years formulating with a team and about seven months sampling. “Literally, I gave it to the seamstresses, the pattern makers, they all have it. It was so fun to do that. It’s different from clothes or even a bag; you don’t carry it every day. This is something you can have that’s part of our brand every single day.”
Christian Siriano
Christian Siriano
