Project Runway Model Says Her ‘Spirit Was Broken’ When Designer Dressed Her in a Dirty Trash Bag

A model on Project Runway is opening up about her experience.

Liris Crosse, 47, said her “spirit was broken” when she was sent down the runway wearing a dirty garbage bag in the latest episode of the reality competition.

The seventh episode of season 22, called “Battle of the Seasons,” featured multiple twists as the designers competed in the unconventional materials challenge against designers from the previous season. Crosse modeled a look designed by current competitor Bryan Barrientos.

Barrientos originally planned to make a dress out of bubble wrap. However, he scrapped the idea after mentor Christian Siriano reminded him of the technology theme, then pivoted to making a dress out of heavy electrical cords and a garbage bag.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Aug. 25, Crosse says, “My heart was broken that day, but it has been filled by so many of the Project Runway viewers who have backed me up and shown so much love with their messages of support.”

She adds that this season she has seen “lackluster designs,” however this one “hit a cord, no pun intended, with the audience because it read thoughtless, unintentional and lazy.”

“He designed what he wanted and not for the model he had,” Crosse continues. “It also struck up a conversation about how all designers should be able to find the inspiration and design for a fuller body as well, no matter the challenge. If not, are you really a designer?!”

Crosse also recalled the experience in a YouTube video uploaded on Monday, Aug. 24, saying she encouraged Barrientos after he decided to pivot.

“He’s like, ‘I don’t know what other materials,’ because most of the people are already using the other materials. And I was like, ‘Well, just look around. Let’s just look around, let’s see what you can find,’ ” the model said, adding that Barrientos eventually found the electrical cords to construct the dress.

“From what it looked like to me, it was basically a halter, which was almost like a noose around my neck, and he was just tying them in a knot. And that’s why on the show you hear me say, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work,’” she explained.

Crosse said Barrientos reassured her that the final product would look different. However, she returned to the workshop the next day, and the dress looked the same. She remembered feeling “disappointed” but was promptly taken away for hair and makeup.

While Crosse was getting glammed, Barrientos and designer Jeffrey Kelly Abess spray-painted the wires. Then, the model returned and was fitted into the dress.

At that point, Barrientos asked her if she would walk down the runway in her bra and underwear with the wires hanging over her, Crosse said, adding that she told the designer no, so he began to construct a dress with a garbage bag and tape.

“It just felt thoughtless. It felt like he just had no idea. It felt careless. It felt lazy. My spirit, in that moment, was broken,” she said.

Later in the video, Crosse claimed the garbage bag he taped on her body “was off the floor.”

“I had no clue that was the garbage bag he had on the ground when he was spray painting some of the cords. But if you go back to the episode, you can see there is spray paint on the plastic bag I’m wearing,” she said.

“He was like, ‘We don’t have much time. What am I going to do?’ ” the model continued. “That’s when the whole taping thing started. So, he starts to tape me up. And truthfully, in my heart of hearts, in that moment, I almost didn’t really care about the fact that he was taping me up because I did not want to go out there in my bra and panties,” the model continued.

Crosse said Barrientos cut her out of the taped dress after Siriano said it was unacceptable. She alleged the designer tried to sew it together and added a zipper, but she ultimately did not know if he was able to.

At the end of the episode, all of the judges were critical of Barrientos’ look. Longtime judge Nina Garcia said, “I appreciate that it was all done by hand, but all of [the designers] used their hands and their craft. And your model didn’t really look happy.”

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

The episode ended on a cliffhanger, but Barrientos is believed to be safe from elimination as he had immunity in the challenge from a previous win.

Crosse claimed in her video that Barrientos has not tried to contact her after the ordeal.

PEOPLE reached out to Crosse, Barrientos and Project Runway for comment on Tuesday, Aug. 25, but did not immediately hear back.

Crosse is the first plus-size model to win the modeling portion of the show, per her website. She also authored 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 to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the following day.