With 13 designers competing in MSU’s Project Runway on Saturday, the Union transformed into the stage for a fashion show. It was judged by fashion designer Andrae Gonzalo, best known for being a contestant on season two of Bravo’s “Project Runway.” The building was packed with students hoping to meet Gonzalo and find out who would win the competition.

As each student began to present his or her collection, one designer stood out in particular.

It could have been the short midnight blue dress with an open-back style sewn from lace. Or maybe it was the elegant, ballerina-inspired white evening gown.

Whatever caught Gonzalo’s eye, it made Spanish freshman Samat Siwek the winner.

After pulling all-nighters to perfect each outfit, and even completing one outfit the day of the competition, Siwek said all the hard work was worth it.

“They said my name and I was awestruck,” he said. “I lost sight and hearing and all feeling for like 10 seconds.”

Siwek said he has always loved fashion, but never thought of himself as having “style.”

When he designs collections, he said he likes to make a strong statement. For this competition, he began with the word “dreamy.” He said this idea led him to think outside the box, from Japanese folklore to the Renaissance and French ballerinas.

“I always think about one sentence or one word and expand on it in a lot of different ways,” he said. “But mesh it together somehow … always modern.”

Gonzalo said he really liked the way Siwek approached the fashion front.

“Even though you could tell he knew how to sew, he was going to a beginner’s mind,” Gonzalo said. “We need to get back to the idea when a human body encounters a piece of cloth. I saw that happening with his clothes.”

Gonzalo said he was looking for communicators who could take a repetitive fashion idea and put it together in a new way.

“I’m always looking for someone who is using the craft to tell a story, to project a point of view into the world,” he said. “I think that’s what starts to make it artistry.”

Emily Marinelli, one of Siwek’s models and best friends, said she knew he was going to win once the second and third winners were announced.

“He puts together weird things, and they’re really fun,” said Marinelli, a business freshman. “I am just really proud of him.”

Several apparel and textile design students approached him afterward and were extremely complimentary of his natural talent, Siwek said.

“I do it because I enjoy it. If I ever stop enjoying it, I won’t do it,” Siwek said. “But I don’t think I will.”