Since getting auf’d by Heidi on season four of Project Runway, Chicago designer Steven Rosengard has parlayed his celeb status into a thriving, eclectic career. In addition to his work as an assistant curator at the Museum of Science and Industry, he designs one-off dresses ("I never make anything twice—I have a short attention span, and a lot of my clients run in the same social circles!"), teaches economical mannequin-making to small museums ("That’s my nerdy side, showing how to display clothing in an archival, period-appropriate manner"), and crafts kiddie couture for the online rental service Gagas.com ("It’s the Netflix of evening wear"). He’s also, ironically, a go-to guy for wow wedding gowns (it was a satin bridal gown challenge on PR that sent him packing). Up next: Rosengard is in negotiations to make a line of eco-friendly mens’ underwear. "I always work with natural fabrics," he says, "but these will be completely green, which I think is really sexy."
Photography: (Rosengard) Courtesy of Steven rosenguard