Armando Thomas "Mondo" Guerra (born June 6, 1978) is an American
fashion designer
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
who finished as runner-up on Season 8 of ''
Project Runway
''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design.
The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted by time, mater ...
'', and later won the series'
first season of ''
Project Runway All Stars
''Project Runway All Stars'' is a spin-off of ''Project Runway'', featuring returning designers competing for grand prizes. Angela Lindvall and Carolyn Murphy have each hosted one season before Alyssa Milano became the staple host of the past five ...
''. After coming out as
HIV positive
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...
on the show,
Guerra has become a
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for two national HIV campaigns —
Merck
Merck refers primarily to the German Merck family and three companies founded by the family, including:
* the Merck Group, a German chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company founded in 1668
** Merck Serono (known as EMD Serono in the Unite ...
's
Project I Design and
Subaru
( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...
's
Dining Out For Life. Guerra was also the first contestant on the show to come from
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
Early life
Guerra is a fifth-generation
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
from the Denver area. He attended high school at the
Denver School of the Arts
Denver School of the Arts (DSA) is a comprehensive, public, arts magnet school, serving grades 6–12. Located at 7111 Montview Boulevard in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, the school is operated by the Denver Public School Dis ...
.
In 2001, when living in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, he tested HIV positive, at the age of 22.
He didn't start
antiretroviral therapy
The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple Antiviral drug, antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV/AIDS, HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life- ...
until several years later and struggled with
adherence, experiencing several side effects and being hospitalized more than once later in the 2000s.
In an interview he has spoken about struggling with AIDS in the
American healthcare system
The United States far List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita, outspends any other nation on health care, measured both in ''per capita'' spending and as a percentage of GDP. Despite this, the country has significantly wo ...
and reliance on
Ryan White programs as well as having
depression and keeping his HIV status secret, including from his family.
He has also spoken about
HIV stigma and "AIDS phobia" within the gay community.
''Project Runway''
Guerra was on
the eighth season of ''
Project Runway
''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design.
The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted by time, mater ...
'', aired in 2010. After placing in the top, but not winning, on a number of challenges, then placing in the bottom but not being eliminated in the seventh (Resort Wear Challenge) episode, he won the challenges on the eighth (
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...
Challenge), ninth (L'Oreal Makeup Challenge) and tenth (HP Pattern Challenge) episodes. He also won $20,000 for the ninth challenge, which involved both a "couture" look and a "ready-to-wear" look.
During the tenth challenge, after a question from
Nina García and without having expected to do so,
he revealed to the judges that his pattern of bright, bold plus signs on a pant was inspired by his
HIV+
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
status,
and that he had been keeping his HIV status a secret for ten years;
in an interview he mentioned that the schedule was particularly difficult for his
medication adherence
In medicine, patient compliance (also adherence, capacitance) describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice. Most commonly, it refers to medication or drug compliance, but it can also apply to other situations such as m ...
, despite coming shortly after a very low
CD4 count
In molecular biology, CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4) is a glycoprotein that serves as a co-receptor for the T-cell receptor (TCR). CD4 is found on the surface of immune cells such as T helper cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic ce ...
.
He had not previously disclosed his HIV status to his family and the show's producers and
Tim Gunn
Timothy MacKenzie Gunn (born July 29, 1953) is an American author, academic, and television personality. He served on the faculty of Parsons School of Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to Mar ...
spoke with him about how he wanted to handle the issue; Guerra has described feeling a sense of relief and self-love at going public with his status.
He finally disclosed to his family shortly before the tenth challenge was broadcast.
With a collection themed on the
Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...
fan favorite
Guerra came in second place in the final competition held at
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a series of international fashion weeks sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, a brand of Daimler AG. Designers featured during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks include notable designers such as Rosenthal Tee, Mary Katrantzou and David ...
at the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
in New York City. Oregonian
Gretchen Jones
Gretchen Jones is an American fashion designer, who won the eighth season of ''Project Runway''.
''Project Runway''
During her run in ''Project Runway'', Jones placed in the top two in the first three challenges, winning the first two. She wa ...
took first place, and Hawaiian Andy South — now Ari South
— came in third.
''Project Runway'' executive producer
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...
— who had pushed for Guerra to win over Jones in a lengthy split debate over the winner — appeared in a modified version of one of Guerra's final collection gowns for the Los Angeles premiere of the movie ''
Black Swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...
'' a few weeks after the airing of the final episode.
Guerra was the winner of the 2012 series
first season of ''
Project Runway All Stars
''Project Runway All Stars'' is a spin-off of ''Project Runway'', featuring returning designers competing for grand prizes. Angela Lindvall and Carolyn Murphy have each hosted one season before Alyssa Milano became the staple host of the past five ...
'', beating out season 1 designer
Austin Scarlett
Austin Scarlett (born 1983) is an American fashion designer and artist known for his appearances on the first season of ''Project Runway'', 2012's '' Project Runway: All Stars'', and his own series, '' On the Road with Austin and Santino''.
Ear ...
and close friend from season 8
Michael Costello.
In 2019, Guerra appeared in the
seventh season of ''
Project Runway All Stars
''Project Runway All Stars'' is a spin-off of ''Project Runway'', featuring returning designers competing for grand prizes. Angela Lindvall and Carolyn Murphy have each hosted one season before Alyssa Milano became the staple host of the past five ...
'', where he assisted
Irina Shabayeva
Irina Shabayeva (russian: Ирина Шабаева, ka, ირინა შაბაევა) is the winner of the sixth season of ''Project Runway'' along with her model, Kalyn Hemphill.
Personal life
Shabayeva is originally from Georgia ...
for the final challenge.
Guerra also was a judge for Project Runway Season 10, episode 9, in which contestants had to make their own print for fabric and design an outfit using the fabric. The episode flashed back to Guerra's win for this challenge during Season 8.
Other notable work
On November 30, 2010, Guerra appeared with
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
,
Kenneth Cole and
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings.
After beginni ...
on the trading floor of the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
to ring the opening bell on behalf of
amFAR
amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, known until 2005 as the American Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of ...
, to usher in
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired immun ...
.
Also in commemoration of World AIDS Day, he designed a limited edition of T-shirts, one with a Day of the Dead
sugar skull and one with a
tree of life
The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...
.
These shirts were sold on
Piperlime.com starting at midnight on December 1, 2010.
For each shirt sold, $20 was donated to amfAR.
In his statement to
Fox News Latino
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
for his motivations in doing this, he said, "The Day of the Dead is celebration of our loved ones who have passed. When I was thinking of World Aids day I wanted to create something very true to who I am, and what I know. Who I've known and miss and those people in my life that still fight this disease. It's about love and continuation."
In the
season 10 finale episode of the hit reality competition show
''RuPaul’s Drag Race'', contestant
Blair St Clair appeared wearing a gown designed by Guerra himself. It was rewarded the “Top Toot of the Week” by the show's official fashion review online series, ''Fashion Photo Ruview''.
Filmography
Television
References
External links
*
*
Project Runway'' on
MyLifetime.com
Interviewwith Poz-I-Am Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerra, Mondo
1978 births
Living people
American fashion designers
LGBT fashion designers
LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people
LGBT people from Colorado
Project Runway (American series) participants
Project Runway (American series) Mentors
People from the Denver metropolitan area
American people of Mexican descent
People with HIV/AIDS