Baltimore’s best and brightest in the fashion, entertainment and media industries, stepped out “runway ready” to celebrate the success of plus-size model Liris Crosse at the posh Tell Tale restaurant in downtown Baltimore.
It was the first Sunday in December just a few days after it was revealed that Crosse was the winning model of Season 16 “Project Runway” during the reunion show.
Crosse was ecstatic and grateful to be back in her hometown surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, who were proud to share the joy of her noteworthy accomplishment.
Courtesy Photo
Liris wearing Michael Brambila’s design depicting evil for the Good and Evil Challenge in Episode 5
As the model competition winner, Crosse will be featured in an upcoming fashion spread for Marie Claire magazine. She is also looking forward to continuing to motivate and educate aspiring and working models through her “Life of a Working Model” boot camp, which she describes as “a safe place for people who want to get quality information from a trusted professional who has continuously broken barriers in the industry.”
Crosse, who currently resides in New York, was born and raised in Randallstown, Baltimore County just a short drive to Baltimore City, and she still feels connected to the people and area where she grew-up.
Crosse joined the cast of this season’s “Project Runway” in part, to continue her mission as a trailblazer in breaking barriers in the modeling industry. Her win is noteworthy because in its sixteen seasons, “Project Runway” has provided significant exposure, education and experiences for participating designers and models, but this season was the first time the show included models of varying sizes (0-22).
Crosse says some designers on the show experienced difficulty in creating fashionable pieces for plus-size models, but she is proud she was able to expose them to the different needs a curvy woman has when it comes to fashion.
Kenya Freeman, one of the designers this season, nailed the Avon challenge with Crosse as her model. Crosse said she felt “powerful and modern” in Kenya’s design. Crosse and Freeman are now talking about possibly creating a fashion line together.
Crosse has appeared in Essence, Vibe, and Volup2 magazines among others; she has graced runways around the world with her confident strut and has appeared in several films and television shows including “The Best Man” and “The Wire.”
She says she has always been in love with fashion and having her picture taken. When she was a little girl and her dad, Reverend St. George Crosse, was running for Congress and had a photographer come to their house to take pictures for his promotional material, she posed for some shots. That photographer told her parents she should model, which she says “planted a seed in my head that I could do it!”
So, she learned everything she could about the business until her father gave her his blessing to pursue a career in modeling after she graduated from Randallstown High School.
She is very excited about her forthcoming book, “Make the World Your Runway,” which she says will include tips and tools to help everyone exude confidence and professionalism on the “runway of life.”
Crosse is proud of her win because she believes “It’s a win for women everywhere, but especially for plus-size women. It’s a win for Baltimore; it’s a win for black women. It’s a win for change [in the fashion industry] and how we [will] be represented. The average size of a woman in America is a size 16 and she’s hardly [ever] able to see herself in media.”
Baltimore is very proud to celebrate with Crosse and will continue to follow her journey as she fights for more diverse representation in the fashion industry.
Follow Crosse’s journey as she continues to motivate, slay on the runway and break barriers in the modeling industry at: www.lirisc.com and @lirisc on IG, FB, Twitter and Snapchat.