\n<\/p>\n
Ahead of his time on the fashion competition series, Lewis designed looks for his self-titled clothing line and worked as a creative director for an Italian menswear company called Stephen F., according to Bravo\u2019s <\/span>Project Runway<\/span><\/em> website<\/span><\/a>. While competing on season 18 for judges <\/span>Karlie Kloss<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and <\/span>Christian Siriano<\/strong><\/a>, he became friends with fellow contestant <\/span>Brittany Allen<\/strong>, who also shared a heartfelt tribute to Lewis.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have the words. My heart aches,\u201d she wrote in a Feb. 25 <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a> post alongside a picture of them together. \u201cThe world and this industry will be dim without your light in it. Your love, your laughter, and your continuous support no matter where we were in life was everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lewis, who grew up with a creative family in New Jersey, found his love for fashion at a young age, which then blossomed when he was in high school.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis kid named Johnny would sketch out all the theatrical costumes for the plays and I would watch him every lunch break,\u201d he told the <\/span>Newark Museum of Art\u2019s \u201cQueer Newark\u201d project<\/span><\/a>, \u201cand he would teach me how to sketch. And after he graduated, everyone came to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added, \u201cMy junior year I started by making two dresses. My senior year I did about 10. And from there I was doing about 30 a year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After finding a mentor during his high school years, Lewis was able to articulate what he wanted to do with his life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to be a designer,\u201d he reflected proudly. \u201cI love clothes and I love fashion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n