Model Liris Crosse reveals she had a broken spirit after being dressed as a trash bag on Project Runway

A Project Runway model is sharing details about an experience that left her deeply shaken. Liris Crosse, 47, said she had her “spirit broken” after a traumatic situation that occurred on August 24, 2026, on the reality show Project Runway, when designer Bryan Barrientos dressed her in a dirty trash bag during an unconventional materials challenge.

The situation occurred in the seventh episode of the 22nd season, entitled “Battle of the Seasons”, which presented several twists and turns. The contestants faced designers from previous seasons in a challenge using unconventional materials, and Liris Crosse walked the runway in a piece created by Bryan Barrientos.

Barrientos initially planned to create a dress out of bubble wrap. However, he abandoned the idea after mentor Christian Siriano reminded him of the technological theme, and so decided to make a model out of heavy electrical wires and a trash bag.

Crosse recalled the experience in a video published on his YouTube channel on August 24, 2026, stating that he supported Barrientos after his change of plans.

The model said that the designer said he didn’t know which materials to use, as most of the others were already being used. She encouraged him to look around, and Barrientos ended up finding the electrical wires to build the piece.

According to Crosse, what appeared to be a collar, almost like a noose around his neck, was him tying the threads into a knot. She recalled saying at the time, “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

Liris Crosse said Barrientos reassured her that the final product would be different. However, when she returned to the workshop the next day, the dress was the same. She reported feeling “disappointed” but was quickly taken to makeup and hair.

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While Crosse was being styled, Barrientos and designer Jeffrey Kelly Abess spray-painted the strands. Then the model returned and was dressed in the creation.

At that point, Barrientos asked if she would parade in just a bra and panties with the strings hanging down. Crosse said she turned down the proposal, which led the designer to improvise a dress out of a trash bag and duct tape.

She described the feeling as “carelessness”, “lack of ideas”, “sloppiness” and “laziness”. Crosse said his spirit “was broken” at that moment.

Later in the video, the model reported that the trash bag used and glued to her body “was on the floor.”

Crosse said he didn’t realize it was the same trash bag the designer used on the floor while painting some of the threads. She invited viewers to rewatch the episode, where you can see the spray paint on the plastic she was wearing.

“He was like, ‘We don’t have much time. What am I going to do?'” the model continued. “That’s when everything started getting taped up. And honestly, in my heart of hearts, at that moment, I almost didn’t care that he was taping me up, because I didn’t want to go around in my bra and panties,” she added.

Crosse claimed that Barrientos stripped her of the skin-tight dress after Christian Siriano deemed the piece unacceptable. She claimed the designer tried to sew it in and add a zipper, but couldn’t say if he was successful.

At the end of the episode, all the judges criticized Barrientos’ work. Longtime judge Nina Garcia commented, “I appreciate that everything was done by hand, but all [the designers] used their hands and their work. And their model didn’t really look happy.”

Guest judge Iman also made observations about Crosse’s appearance, saying she looked “miserable” in the dress.

The episode ended in suspense, but it is believed that Barrientos is safe from elimination, as he had immunity in the challenge due to a previous victory.

In her video, Liris Crosse stated that Barrientos did not attempt to contact her after the incident.

Efforts were made to obtain comment from Liris Crosse, Bryan Barrientos and Project Runway production on August 25, 2026, but there was no immediate response.

Liris Crosse is the first plus-size model to win the modeling portion of the show, according to her official website. She is also the author of the 2019 book, “Make the World Your Runway: Top Model Secrets for Everyday Confidence and Success.”

Project Runway airs on Freeform on Thursdays and is available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.