Fashion designer Christian Siriano just partnered with SweeTARTS to create his sweetest ensemble yet!
The Project Runway star teamed up with the nostalgic candy brand to put his own spin on the SweeTARTS Be Both campaign. Launched earlier this year, the brand’s new message celebrates the multi-dimensionality of its candies and the people who love ‘em!
Using the SweeTARTS Original and Mini Chewy candies as inspiration, Siriano designed what he calls a “suit dress-hybrid,” featuring a pantsuit style on one half and a glam fringe dress on the other. The head-turning ensemble is made up of candy-inspired pastel hues of pink, yellow and teal.
When asked to detail the design process, Siriano explained, “What’s nice is that candy is already inspiring because it’s colorful, bright and playful. But this idea of being sweet and tart inspired the [look] that’s strong and powerful, plus romantic and soft. I wanted this look to put a smile on [everyone’s] face.”
The fringe-y part of the statement piece is inspired by Siriano’s favorite sweet treat, SweeTARTS Ropes. “I ate like 100. It’s bad,” Siriano laughed as the two of us sat by mason jars packed with the brand’s beloved candies.
On how the partnership originally came to be, Siriano explained, “When SweeTARTS reached out, I was like ‘Oh my god I’m such a fan. I grew up my whole life eating SweeTARTS!’ We were a candy family,” he gushed.
The colorful ensemble will make its public debut at New York Fashion Week. It will be worn by a female actress who will be seated front row on September 7 — keep your eyes peeled to Siriano’s social media to see who that lucky person is!
This project was a little different than what the designer’s used to. “Sometimes when I make clothes, it feels like too much pressure. This was pressure to have fun, to do something whimsical,” he said.
“I think the whole idea of Be Both is really important right now with what’s going on in our culture,” Siriano concluded. “And it’s impressive to see a candy brand really think about the world today, and want to be as inclusive and diverse as our society is becoming.”
