Mondo Guerra — Project Runway

Mona de Crinis Fashion Week El Paseo, Watch & Listen - Fashion Week

Mondo Guerra went all out on Project Runway night at Fashion Week El Paseo™, introducing his “Haute Dog” spring line, featuring a bold, bright mix of prints, patterns, and colors reminiscent of a day at the beach.

Most of his fabrics featured imprinted hot dogs and red, white, and blue rocket popsicles inspired, he says, by a need this year to have fun and celebrate being absurd and unpredictable.

Guerra admitted after the show that he was inspirationally challenged this past year — until, he says, “The imagery of hot dogs haunted me.” Everywhere he went, he was seeing hot dogs: a hot dog cart, an illustration of a hot dog on the wall of a restaurant, hot dogs at the beach. “I joked that my next collection would be about hot dogs. And it came true.”

Guerra, who lives and works in Denver, appeared in Project Runway season 8, and his bold designs have since captured the imagination of the fashion world. He returned to win the debut season of Project Runway All Stars in 2012.

The show’s audience has rallied in support of Guerra’s disclosure that he’s living with HIV. He has since become an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and has also partnered with Merck for an education campaign.