While attending Reginald F. Lewis High School, Bishme Cromartie began designing and sewing prom dresses for classmates and students at other schools. There’s no shortage of inspiration in the city where his fashion career started.

“A lot of my designs stem from the imagination I created while growing up in Baltimore. … No matter what or where I was at, or what part of the city I was in, you can always tell that identifying and expressing who you are through your garments is very important,” said Cromartie, 33, who now lives in Los Angeles but once called Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood home.

“I love seeing some of the buildings, like abandoned buildings or like industrial buildings, where you can see how the building was held up.”

With last year’s Season 20 “Project Runway” All-Stars win under his belt and clients including Lizzo, Victoria Monet, Jennifer Hudson and Ciara, Cromartie is returning to his hometown for a talk about his journey as a designer at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Oct. 9. The event will kick off the museum’s new Labor + Innovation speaker series co-produced by Baltimore artist Cheyanne Zadia and moderated by Baltimore podcast producer Aaron Henkin, slated to run through June of next year.

“We really wanted this talk series to reflect industry leaders, everyday workers, and really tell human stories about the intersection of work and art,” said Brianne Mobley, the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s public engagement manager.

After Cromartie’s solo appearance, the lineup will feature multiple speakers coming together to offer insight on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on Dec. 3; women in the culinary arts on March 13; and AI technology on June 4.

Mobley said the series is inspired by the museum’s galleries and collections, including its garment loft exhibit, which focuses on Baltimore’s history of garment making.

Cromartie was preparing for the online debut of his fashion film “Brutal Cry” on Sept. 10 during New York Fashion Week when he spoke with The Baltimore Sun, and said the collection explores the topic of grief. His older sister, Chimere Faye Wall, died from colon cancer in 2022 after being diagnosed while he appeared on Season 17 of “Project Runway”; his new film and collection is about “releasing the burden of grief and rediscovering yourself.”

“To come home is kind of like a home run,” he said. “The timing of it is perfect.”

If you go

Bishme Cromartie’s two-hour talk at the Baltimore Museum of Industry will start at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 and is free via registration online. It will be preceded by a meet and greet for museum members at 5:30 p.m.