Christian Siriano’s Super Simple Reason for Dressing All Sizes Will Make You Love Him Even More

Christian Siriano knows that discrimination against anyone is wrong — and that’s exactly why he designs clothing for all women no matter her shape, size, color, background, beliefs, whatever.

“I grew up with a mom who is a size 16, and a sister who is a size 0, so I never thought that wasn’t normal,” Siriano told The Guardian. “I just assumed you had to dress everybody,” he added brilliantly.

Idealistic? Maybe. Perfect? Absolutely.

But Siriano isn’t all talk; he’s recently created dresses for women who cannot find designer clothing that fits them, like Leslie Jones and Whoopi Goldberg.

This is part of the reason first lady Michelle Obama enlisted the Project Runway alum to fill her closet. The fact that he’s a fashion genius doesn’t hurt either. “We just made a ton of clothes for Michelle Obama — imagine if I never designed for [her size] before; I wouldn’t want to be figuring that out for the first time,” he told Refinery29. See?! Being inclusive pays off.

“Women’s empowerment in general is having a moment right now, and it’s a perfect time to put it out there,” Siriano told The Guardian. It just so happens to be great for business, as well, since, ya know, most humans are not a size zero. How many of those $995 blue cobalt dresses has he sold since Obama’s convention appearance? “A great amount, but I can’t tell you,” he said, giggling. “Trust me, I’d love to brag about it.”

Not only is he size inclusive — he has a line with Lane Bryant — he’s also income inclusive. He recently collaborated with Payless, and his reason for doing so is just as straightforward — the kind that makes you say, “duh.”

“I couldn’t imagine saying no to a company like Payless,” Siriano said during a talk hosted by Berkeley College. “Why would you alienate a customer? Why would you not want that fan?” Don’t ask us, ask the hundreds of designers out there that only make zillion dollar size zero gowns.

Bottom line: Everyone loves clothes they can fit in and afford, but during these times, people also want to invest in brands with a positive business strategy and values. So, while it might not be easy to design lots of sizes for lots of price ranges, it’s totally worth it, and not just because it’s the right thing to do.

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