Shantall Lacayo (born May 4, 1984) is a Nicaraguan fashion designer. She is known for being a contestant on '' Project Runway Latin America'' and '' Project Runway'', as well as for her design company and fashion shows.

Early life

Lacayo was born in

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, Nicaragua on May 4, 1984. She began working as a fashion designer at the age of 17. In 2003, she attended U.A.M. for marketing and publicity, finishing her studies in 2008. She subsequently moved to

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

to continue studying design and fabrics technology at Escuela Argentina de Moda.

Career

In 2009, Lacayo opened her first studio in

San Telmo, Buenos Aires San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique ...

. In 2010, she was invited to compete on the first season of '' Project Runway Latin America'', where she made it to the finale. Lacayo, alongside Camila Ortega Murillo, founded Nicaragua Diseña in 2012, a platform for promoting Nicaraguan designers. In 2015, Lacayo dressed Nicaraguan filmmaker at the

87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2014 in film, films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

. Lacayo settled in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

to help build her brand in the United States. In May 2018, her show at

Miami Fashion Week Miami Fashion Week (MIAFW) is an annual fashion week held in Miami, Florida, United States. Miami Fashion Week, not to be confused with the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami or Miami Swim Week, takes place every year the first week of June. Miami ...

was the subject of protests due to her association with Camila Ortega Murillo, the daughter of controversial Nicaraguan politicians

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguans, Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the ...

and

Rosario Murillo Rosario María Murillo Zambrana (; born 22 June 1951) is a Nicaraguan politician and poet who has held the position of Vice President of Nicaragua, the country's second highest office, since January 2017 and First Lady of Nicaragua since 2007 ...

. Public figures such as Ana Navarro and

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (; born Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato, July 15, 1952) is a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She wa ...

spoke out against Lacayo's participation. Lacayo subsequently cancelled her show. That November, Lacayo also declined to participate in the Nicaragua Diseña event in solidarity against the Ortega regime. In 2019, as part of the Fashion Designers of Latin America (FDLA), Lacayo participated in her first

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

. In 2021, Lacayo participated in season 19 of the reality television series '' Project Runway''. Lacayo won the grand prize of the competition, the first Latin American woman to do so. She planned to move to New York following the win.

References

{{reflist 1984 births Living people Nicaraguan women fashion designers People from Managua