A friend recently returned from an eight-day tour of Cuba and was captivated by the romance of the country that is frozen in the 1950s. The music, cars, and architecture are a time warp. She said that what was absent were guns, drugs, violence and Google.
Like other Caribbean nations, there is a rich history of creativity, from painters to fashion designers to decorative artists. Cuba isn’t a stranger to luxury fashion. Before Fidel Castro took power in 1959, the Caribbean island attracted couturiers like Christian Dior who opened one of his first boutiques in the Americas in Havana. But following half a century under communist rule, the opulence that once characterized Cuba is no more.
Today, the global fashion industry is attracted to Cuba as a location for glamorous and charming photo shoots. Cuban designers are just beginning to be acknowledged beyond the island.
But things may be changing as the luxury brand Chanel is set to show its cruise collection in Havana this week.
We expect that when the time is right, Cuban artists will prosper in our global economy. Their work is more mature and more sophisticated than some of their island neighbors, which may make their evolution more successful.
We tried to buy some of the beautiful jewellery by Cuban designer, Rosana Vargas but had no success. Her brand Rox 950 is yet to be available in the States. We look forward to the day:
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