- My next guest is an award-winning fashion designer
and one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people.
Recently he's taken his talent
to the front lines of the pandemic.
I'm happy to call him a friend, Christian Siriano, y'all.
How you doing?
- Let me tell ya.
(sighs)
It's tough.
(Kelly laughing) but doing good, doing good.
- But the world has changed a bit
since we last saw each other so,
how are you staying sane in all of this?
- Yeah, I know.
It's been wild.
It really has.
I mean, I live in New York which is really,
got hit pretty hard.
And it's a weird place, to see everything closed
and it's kind of wild and,
but I've listening to the Governor, kind of everyday
and there were such like a shortage of things,
and I was like, "Well, maybe I can do something."
So that's kind of like,
why I started just kinda pitching in.
I felt like maybe we can help.
And that was kind of it.
I just felt like I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing.
- It's so devastating.
Like you're in a very devastating area
with this whole virus.
And you know, it's really cool though.
I just wanted to say thank you
because you could just be chilling and doing nothing.
You know what I'm saying?
You could just be relaxing and like, a lot of people
are just like, "Okay, I'm just gonna stay safe and healthy."
And you heard a need for something
and then used your talent for this,
and it's super cool.
And I just wanted to say thank you for doing that,
for something, you know, like,
everybody doing something matters.
So, what is the process though, of making masks?
'Cause that's very different from dresses and outfits.
(Christian laughing) So, I'm like, yes.
Is that hard or is it weird?
- It's like wild, it's like wild.
I mean, I literally,
after like I tweeted at the Governor and they responded,
you know, they give us kind of permission to open my office
with a small team and I realized you know,
my sewers are like couture sewers.
And now, they're like making masks.
It's quite monotonous work.
It's the same thing over and over again.
And at the beginning, we were only making like, white.
And now, I was like, we need to have some color,
like I need something because we've done almost
15,000 masks and you're like, "Oh, my God."
- [Kelly] "Oh my God."
- Your eyes are like bulging out
because it's the same thing.
And it's kind of hard to make quality control
when you, you know, I didn't have a mask factory.
And, I just kinda turned it into one, so,
it's kind of wild.
- Yeah, because there are like, I guess, specifications
in what the mask has to be able to do
and the filtration.
Yeah, it's crazy.
We've looked at it too, because I quilt
and I've thought of doing it with my five year old,
like on our little sewing machine here,
and just start to make stuff, and I was like,
"Oh gosh, I gotta figure out all how to do that."
I was like, "It's so crazy different."
- You got a sewing machine and it's really hard.
- Oh my gosh, it's so difficult.
But it's really cool though that y'all are doing that.
But, so, and I actually love that you did the color
and you added the color because I know that seems like
a silly thing but we could use color right now.
And such a black and white scenario,
like color can make people happy.
Like when I see the color yellow, it helps me.
When I see the color, you know, rich, vibrant colors,
it just helps me.
So I think that's actually smart.
I know it seems silly but, it's not.
- No, but like, even the women in my office,
who are like working everyday who still like,
have a job, and like feed their families,
they feel different when they're like,
making a fuschia masks all day
instead of just a plain, gray one.
Like, you can tell in their face, you know?
Which is really nice.
- Yeah, I mean, this is kind of cool too,
just as a business owner.
I mean you run a business and you families like, you know?
And they need to be fed,
and so, it's kind of a difficult position for a lot
of owners of businesses because their income
really isn't coming in so it's like,
is this kind of a way you thought would be cool to kind of
keep them going and then also help out the community?
- Yeah, it's like the best of both worlds.
We get to send thousands of things
to hospitals, like kind of around the US which is amazing,
and then, also, my seamstresses,
my pattern makers, everybody that works my office,
who have five kids, some of them,
they get to still keep their job,
and that was what I was actually so scared about.
I was like, "What can we do?"
We make clothes.
We don't sit at home and work on the internet.
We make something everyday so we have to go and do it.
- It's clever and it's helpful.
So how can people help you?
Like with the work you're doing.
Can anybody help or?
- Yeah, yeah.
We just been having everybody go to christiansiriano.com.
We have like everything there
like information, how you can help,
or even if people wanna like, help their friends
by making masks, so all that's on the website, yeah.
- That's awesome.
What's your personal version of PJ's till noon,
quarantine fashion?
- Oh my gosh.
It's really funny because I have noticed,
like I'm really into like everybody in their looks
and like, I loved the pillow challenge.
I think it's chic.
I get dressed everyday.
Like I wear jeans and you know, and I like need to
because otherwise, then I won't do anything.
I really will be lazy and I can't.
I have to keep active.
- Oh my gosh.
I am able to conquer the world in pajama pants.
(laughing)
- Honestly that's talent, that's talent!
- It is a talent.
I'm so talented.
Well, have you seen any quarantine fashion
on social media that you love?
You mentioned the pillow thing.
What's the pillow thing?
- The pillow challenge is where you take your pillow
and you basically belt it, and you like,
make a gown out of it.
You have to look up Halle Berry's.
(Kelly laughing)
- I love it.
- Halle Berry's is so fabulous.
It's amazing.
- So, one thing I did want to ask is
I saw this when you first came on
and I saw the video,
there's like so many drawings behind you.
So are you like, are you just drawing?
Are you creating like crazy?
'Cause a lot of, I've been writing like crazy, as an artist.
So, have you just been drawing like nonstop?
- It's like my self-care is like, painting and sketching
and like, that's like, my little escapism.
I actually, just you know, while I'm here.
Well, I did a happy birthday present for you,
and I sketched you our three favorite looks.
This is granny, Golden Globes, and "Trolls" premiere,
and these are my gift to you.
I'm sorry they're not framed
because my framer clearly isn't working.
- Oh my gosh!
- For you. - That's so nice!
- Happy birthday!
- I love those, I remember that one!
I felt like Lucy in "Game of Thrones".
I felt so cool.
I love those.
Thank you so much, that's so kind!
- You're welcome!