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Mondo Guerra


Armando Thomas “Mondo” Guerra (born June 6, 1978) is a Mexican-American fashion designer who finished as runner-up on Season 8 of Project Runway, and later won the series' first season of "Project Runway: All Stars". Mondo also came out as HIV positive on the show.

Guerra was also the first contestant on the show to come from Denver, Colorado.

Guerra is a fifth-generation Mexican-American from the Denver area. He attended high school at the Denver School of the Arts.

Guerra was on the eighth season of Project Runway, 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 Challenge), ninth (L’Oreal Makeup Challenge) and tenth (HP Pattern Challenge) episodes.

During the tenth challenge, he revealed to the judges that his pattern of bright, bold plus signs on a pant was inspired by his HIV+ status, and that he had been keeping his HIV status a secret for ten years. He also won $20,000 for the ninth challenge, which involved both a “couture” look and a “ready-to-wear” look.

Guerra came in second place in the final competition held at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York City. Gretchen Jones came in first place, and Andy South came in third.

Project Runway Executive Producer Heidi Klum (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 a few weeks after the airing of the final episode.

Guerra was the winner of the 2012 series Project Runway: All-Stars, beating out Season 1 designer Austin Scarlett and fellow Season 8 designer Michael Costello.


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