Christian Siriano unveiled his new collection Lane Bryant on Monday. Whether intended or not, the fact that the show took place a day after Mother’s Day had a special significance for the designer.

“My whole life, my mom has been a Lane Bryant customer, and that was my jumping-off point,” Siriano said backstage before the show, which took place in an outdoor setting at the United Nations, just before the Empowering Women Summit there. “I wanted to celebrate what my mom has been celebrating my whole life.”

And so he did, with a collection of moto jackets, mermaid dresses, one-shoulder tops and several shirt and cutout dresses. Designing in a wider range of sizes came quite naturally to the CFDA Member. “”We already go up to a size 16 so really we were working off of what he have already done in custom, where we go up to size 28,” he said. “F or me, it wasn’t as much of a challenge.”

Lane Bryant executives Linda Heasley and Brian Beitler were in the crowd, watching models such as Ashely Graham, Candice Huffine, and Precious Lee strut down the grass-covered runway (the weather, thankfully, played along nicely).

The venue, too, made much sense considering it’s a place in New York where all of the world’s cultures merge.

“I liked the idea of celebrating all women, no matter what size, age or ethnicity,” said Siriano. “That’s what we are doing here, and that’s what it’s about.”