Liris Crosse Asked Christian Siriano for a Spot in His Show. He Said Yes, and the Designer Who Put Her in a Garbage Bag Still Hasn't Called.

Liris Crosse walked a Project Runway runway in a used garbage bag during season 22’s unconventional materials challenge. In August, she posted a video saying the moment broke her spirit. Crosse is 47, and back in 2017 she became the first plus-size model to win the modeling portion of the show, so she knows exactly what a runway is supposed to feel like. It’s not supposed to feel like that.

Weeks after she spoke up, commenters reminded her that Christian Siriano has built his career dressing women of every size. Crosse publicly asked him for a spot in his show. Siriano replied that he would see her there, and his casting director would reach out. The designer who sent her out in the garbage bag, Bryan Barrientos, still hasn’t contacted her. Crosse says she is at peace with it, and that other designers and producers from the season have reached out with appreciation.

Crosse says she went public to help the model coming up behind her. She put it simply: we can’t create change and awareness if nobody knows. Other models have told her that watching her speak up made them feel safer doing the same.

What would you tell a young person who’s afraid to speak up when something isn’t right?