Fashion Designer Mondo Guerra’s Dress Inspired by HIV Community On World AIDS day.

This is a guest blog post by  Kristyan Morgan.

Fashion designers seek inspiration from the strangest of places. But for Mondo Guerra, Project Runway All Stars winner, inspiration for one of his latest designs has been his life.

The designer recently unveiled an original dress in collaboration with health care specialist Merck to mark World AIDS Day that embodies HIV community's courage and commitment. Incidentally, Guerra himself is HIV-positive, and with this dress he wants to help inspire people living with HIV to have an open dialogue with their doctors. This is one of the key messages of the I Design campaign that Guerra and Merck want to highlight.

(Photo : prnewswire) Fashion designer Mondo Guerra hopes his design would inspire people living with HIV to have an open dialogue with their doctors

"I believe that fashion, as with many forms of art, can serve as a great conversation starter," Guerra said in a statement. "I was inspired by the people I've met through the I Design campaign and a mural created by the HIV Community, and artistically wanted the dress pattern to be abstract to symbolize how every person is different. I hope this dress created for World AIDS Day can be used to further remind people living with HIV about the importance of having meaningful discussions with their doctors."

Interestingly, each component of the dress highlights the importance of patient-doctor interaction. For example, the black bodice and silhouette shows that patients should take some time to prepare for appointments so as to make the most out of every doctor visit, while the use of color blocking stresses the importance of meaningful dialogue with a doctor.

The red sheer overlay shows that HIV patients are all different, which is why patients should work with their doctors to find a "tailored" treatment plan.

Meanwhile, Guerra is not the only fashion designer who has designed an exclusive AIDS Day garment. Italian fashion retailer, early last month, roped in 11 young designers to create an exclusive collection of tops and t-shirts to mark World AIDS Day.

This initiative was launched by OVS in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“This partnership with OVS presents an exciting opportunity to reach young people with HIV prevention messages,” Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS was quoted on the organization’s website. “Young people are leading the HIV prevention revolution around the world. Through our joint campaign, we will harness the energy and creativity of youth and the fashion world in support of the global HIV response.”