The latest episode of season 22 of “Project Runway” airs on E! Entertainment via the DGO signal (DirectV platform) on September 10.
“I am Peruvian-American, and my parents were born in Chosica. I have played volleyball and soccer all my life, and I am a fan of ‘U’ (Universitario Deportes), but don’t tell my parents, because they are Alianza fans”, jokes Barrientos in a virtual interview with this newspaper. His paternal family was always close to music: his uncle Arturo Barrientos stands out as an eternal Peruvian rocker and his grandmothers were seamstresses. One of them used to dress images of Peruvian virgins in her time. Bryan, with those genes, tried his hand at the art of Literature, but in the end he stayed with fashion design.
“Peru is not just a place for me; it is a heartbeat, a rhythm I carry in my blood. Being Peruvian-American has always been fundamental to my identity, something I continuously unravel and reinterpret through my design process”, he adds.
Barrientos earned a postgraduate degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and then traveled to Paris, London, Oaxaca (Mexico), and Cusco (Peru) to learn about weaving and natural dyeing. Thus, he began to build a career that has led him to dress figures such as Broadway singer and “Wicked” actress Cynthia Erivo; model and creator of the reality show “Project Runway,” Heidi Klum; or Allure magazine editor Jessica Cruel — who wore ‘Barrientos’ at the MET Gala — among other personalities from the fashion and entertainment world.
“As a student, I experienced design through my travels and the problem of the immigration crisis in the United States. Sometimes, people don’t want to talk about it, but as a designer I have spaces to talk about inspiration from my roots. (…) In my collection, there is a lot of inspiration from traditional Andean clothing. I design many poncho silhouettes and volumes. My fabric patterns were liked by Cynthia Erivo’s team, who used one of my garments for the images of her music album ‘I Forgive You’ (2025). It is my interpretation of a new poncho with an ‘hourglass’ silhouette”, explains Barrientos.
“Project Runway”
Besides entertaining, the reality show “Project Runway” serves as a breeding ground for fashion designers in the United States. The challenge is to design in record time and with different garments and styles. After its premiere in 2004, the first editions of the program had judges such as Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, and Tyra Banks, among other fashion personalities. And the show knew how to sustain itself for eleven seasons. In this latest edition, Barrientos participates up to episode 8, “Designing with the Stars,” in which he dressed dancer Emma Slater.
“I always think about what will help me achieve my main goal as a designer, which is to find myself as a person (…) When I thought about joining a reality show, I knew it would put me to the test in fashion design. Because I have to think on the fly. It’s really very difficult. There, you are who you are. It’s pure instinct. It’s about making quick decisions. Then, being criticized by very respected professionals and designers. That’s what I wanted. How do I put myself to the test? Trying to find my natural instinct. The positive will come when I discover something more about myself”, says Barrientos.
Barrientos looks again at his Peruvian roots and continues sewing, between the intimacy of his workshop and the scrutiny of television. His next stop will be the New York Bridal Fashion Week, organized by the CFDA, from October 13 to 15. There he will present “Magdalena,” a collection inspired by his migrant grandmother Maria Magdalena Sosa. “It talks about what happened to us and how we continue into the future,” he concludes.
In the seventh episode of season 22 of “Project Runway,” model Liris Crosse walked the runway wearing a dress that Bryan Barrientos made with electrical cables and a garbage bag during the unconventional materials challenge. Later, she questioned the garment for not being designed for a plus-size body and described the design as “careless” and “lazy”; she also said her “spirit was broken” by the garment she wore on the runway. The look was harshly criticized by the judges, although Barrientos was safe from elimination.
“I come from a plus-size family. My mother calls herself ‘Big Barbie,’ and I have designed for bodies like that all my life, even when I worked in stores or sold chicken dinners here. She loves her body. She loves who she is. (…) And, I repeat, I am in an industry that will always have positive or negative aspects. Everything is subjective. Then there is the viewer and criticism from outside the industry. I think people either understand it or not, and that’s okay. Expressing oneself is fine with me,” says Barrientos.
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