Christian was born in Columbia, Maryland to Joye and Peter Siriano. Along with his older sister, a former ballet dancer, Siriano was raised in Annapolis, Maryland. He is of Italian and German descent. Christian's parents divorced when he was four years old, though he has said his father is still a part of his life.
Christian has said that his parents supported the arts and encouraged their children to pursue creative fields. As a child, Christian studied ballet, and on a March 2008 Ellen appearance, he described himself as a "musical theater kid who loved costumes". Christian's interest in costume design inspired him to pursue a career in fashion. He began designing clothes at age thirteen, while working as a hair washer and styling assistant at Bubbles Salon in Annapolis, and eventually began sewing clothes for the salon's annual hair shows. Christian attended high school at the Baltimore School for the Arts. The school allowed Siriano to choose fashion design as his course of study, despite the fact that they do not offer it.
After being rejected by the Fashion Institute of Technology, Christian chose to study abroad at American InterContinental University in London, England. Following the recommendation of a teacher during his senior year, he began interning at Vivienne Westwood, and later, at Alexander McQueen, whom Christian has stated is his favorite designer.[9] Siriano moved to New York City after graduating from college.
Before auditioning for the fourth season of Project Runway, Christian was working as a freelance make-up artist for Stila cosmetics and making wedding gowns for private clients, as well as holding a brief intern position at Marc Jacobs. Christian decided to audition for the show after the suggestion of a friend's mother.
During his time on Runway, Christian won four challenges, the most out of any contestants on the season. Christian advanced to the show's finals, and won a spot to show a twelve-piece final collection at New York Fashion Week. His collection was comprised of Musketeer-inspired couture, featuring ruffles, feathers and headwear.
During the finale, which aired on March 5, 2008, celebrity guest judge Victoria Beckham praised Christian's collection as being a "breath of fresh air" and stated that she would be "honored to wear" any piece of his clothing. Christian was announced the winner of the show's fourth season, winning a fashion spread in Elle magazine, a 2008 Saturn Astra, and $100,000 US to start his own label. In addition, Christian was awarded the season's Fan Favorite award, based on votes from viewers. He received a check for $10,000 US, which was presented to him by season three Fan Favorite Michael Knight.
In April 2008, Christian signed on to design a fifteen piece collection for Puma. In May 2008, Siriano designed virtual promwear for Gaia Online's virtual prom. As part of his prize for winning Project Runway, Christian's first collection for Bluefly is set to be available on the website on July 23rd, 2008. When the collection hit the online retail store, pieces flew out of stores with only a few styles in selected sizes left.
Christian has tattoos of a squid and an octopus on his right arm that he has said are "a tribute to Maryland and the sea life". However, Christian later contradicted this statement by saying that his tattoos "mean nothing... Totally random. And yes, it's permanent, but I'm young. In twenty years, there's totally going to be ways to remove it."
Christian is openly gay and dating musician Brad Walsh. During the finale of Siriano's season of Runway, show mentor Tim Gunn visited Christian in a small East Village apartment where he lived, worked and slept in one room. In June 2008, The New York Sun reported that Christian now lives in a 1,400 square foot loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
