Sergio Guadarrama is one of the designers on Season 18 of Project Runway. He is competing on the show against other highly talented designers, such as Marquise Foster, Melanie Trygg, and Shavi Lewis.
Guadarrama drew attention recently when he had a brief exchange with mentor Christian Siriano — who advised him to reconsider an animal-print ball gown design because it was unsuitable for a streetwear challenge.
Guadarrama insisted he wouldn’t change the design because he doesn’t design clothes for young people. He insisted that he designs evening wear for older people who can afford it.
Guadarrama’s insistence on having his way led to a slightly heated exchange as Siriano tried to convince him to consider tweaking his design.
Since the incident, viewers have been asking who Guadarrama is. Here is what you need to know.
Who is Sergio Guadarrama?
Sergio Guadarrama is 36 years old and from Austin, Texas.
According to his bio page on the Bravo website, he considers himself an odd one out in his family because he took up fashion design while the rest of his siblings followed in the footsteps of their father — a professional soccer player.
He took an interest in fashion design from a very early age. As early as four, he was already creating designs for his cousin’s Barbie dolls using material from his grandmother’s old garments.
His mother supported his early creative efforts and bought him a sewing machine.
Guadarrama attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in California and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan, New York.
He started his fashion line, Celestino, in 2005, while he was still studying at FIT. Celestino creates a wide range of designs from “menswear to avant-garde couture pieces.”
Celestino designs have been featured in Vogue, Forbes, New York Magazine, and People Magazine. Guadarrama has also created designs for celebrities Kim Kardashian, Indya Moore, and Amber Rose.
According to his bio, Guadarrama designed Billy Porter’s famous 2019 Tony Awards red-carpet outfit (see Instagram photo below).
He says on his Bravo bio page that “he has not put any limits on himself as to what he creates.”
Project Runway airs Thursday nights at 9:30/8:30c on Bravo.