LINEISY MONTERO

Dominican Republic

Rightfully crowned “queen of the runway”, Dominican-born Lineisy Montero, blew up the fashion world. Montero has the record of walking more international runway shows than any other model in one season.

In 2015 Prada introduced a surprising new dimension to the subject of diversity in fashion: launching the career of Lineisy Montero, “a tiny little Dominican afro”. At the time, Prada had no black models on its catwalks. Black hair was so rarely seen on the catwalk without having been blown straight or pressed flat that the sight of it not only set off a wave of enthusiasm on social media, it also marked a new era. Lineisy Montero, instantly became the most talked about model.

Lineisy Montero is the model that has conquered the catwalks of all the fashion capitals around the globe. Her story, from the Caribbean country to fashion editorials, campaigns and, of course, Fashion Week shows, can be told simply and quickly, however, the journey has not been easy.

Montero was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, by her mother and grandmother along with her younger siblings. Since she was little, she wanted to dedicate herself to the world of fashion. The young woman was discovered in an amusement park at the age of 14. Her discovery is attributed to Sandro Guzmán, a Dominican businessman who owns the Ossygeno Models agency and a pioneer in bringing Dominican blood to international agencies.

Since her catwalk debut with Prada, Lineisy Montero has walked the likes of Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Balenciaga, Loewe, Fendi, Carolina Herrera, Tom Ford, Jacquemus and many, many more.