Fashion designer Christian Siriano is becoming synonymous with the body positive movement sweeping through the mainstream.
Siriano, who rose to fame after winning Season 4 of Project Runway, has made it a point to make his designs accessible to the masses, eschewing the traditional feel often seen on the runway at New York Fashion Week by employing a diverse group of models who are larger the industry-standard size 2.
Siriano's ready-to-wear fall collection featured 10 plus size models -- double the amount from his NYFW show last year.
His designs have been praised by Ashley Graham and Christina Hendricks, both of whom have become ambassadors for the body positivity movement.
Siriano is also garnering praise for a t-shirt in his Fall Collection emblazoned with the phrase, "People Are People." Proceeds from the shirts, which retail for $25, benefit the ACLU.
Siriano famously dressed Leslie Jones after the actress shared that she was having difficulty finding a designer willing to work with her for the premiere of the Ghotbusters reboot last summer.
Siriano's aim for accessibility to the modern woman has translated into successful fashion lines at both Payless and Lane Bryant, though he still retains an air of the elite, having dressed former first lady Michelle Obama for last year's Democratic National Convention.
Siriano's message of diversity can be seen in more than just varying body shapes as the designer used several models of color at NYFW this year, including supermodel Alek Wek.
Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks, who often wears Siriano's designs on the red carpet and served as the face of his Lane Bryant line, praised the designer's commitment to inclusion.
"I love the fact that he knows the importance of representation," Brooks said. "He understands that all women should be seen and deserve to be dressed and feel beautiful."
