Chanel brings glamour to Old Havana, Cuba

French fashion house Chanel brings glamour to old Havana on Tuesday
when it stages its first Latin American fashion show on the communist
island. It is the latest in a stream of international cultural events in
Cuba as it opens up its diplomatic and commercial relations.

“The cultural richness and the opening up of Cuba to the world have
turned
it into a source of inspiration for Chanel,” the company said.
The show will present the latest collection by German designer Karl
Lagerfeld, inspired by the colors of the Caribbean and classic “aesthetics
of
Cuba.”

Among a stream of visiting celebrities and top officials, the Rolling
Stones played a concert here last month after a visit by US President Barack
Obama.

#ChanelCruiseCuba #CocoCuba

A photo posted by CHANEL (@chanelofficial) on May 2, 2016 at 12:09pm
PDT

A Hollywood film crew has meanwhile been shooting the latest “Fast and
Furious” action movie in the streets of the city. For Tuesday’s fashion
show, the open-air catwalk is up on the Paseo del Prado, a long seaside
boulevard, among scruffy old buildings — a neighborhood with little
luxury.

“I think that catwalk is going to be more for Chanel than for Cuba,” said local
designer Idania del Rio, 33. “I don’t know whether the people here in Cuba
are ready for this type of product.” Nevertheless, as a fashion designer
she is curious to see the show.

“I want to see what 40,000 US dollar clothing looks like.”
Cuba’s best-known living designer Raul Castillo said he was excited.
“It is a dream to see the work of a designer like Lagerfeld here in
socialist Cuba,” he said.

Rags to Chanel

For years, the communist principles that ruled in Cuba after
revolutionary Fidel
Castro won power in 1959 insisted on equality, even in clothing. Foreign
brands were not available until the 1990s, when the market started to open
up gradually. “There is nothing uglier than standardization,” Cuban author
Arturo Arango wrote on the subject, in an online article.

“With standardization comes apathy and alienation. All that leads fatally to
ugliness.” Cuba entered a crisis after the Soviet Union, which had
financially supported its communist government, fell in 1991. Cubans had to
wear imported second-hand clothes from state-run stores. Authorities called
it “recycled clothing” but ordinary Cubans referred to their trips to the
official shops as “rag-shopping.”

Stella Tennant
at the opening of the exhibition “Obra en Proceso / Work in
Progress” at the Factoria Habana #ChanelCruiseCuba #CocoCuba
#FactoriaHabana

A photo
posted by CHANEL (@chanelofficial) on May 2, 2016 at 2:34pm
PDT

With its cabarets and casinos frequented by US film stars and
gangsters, pre-revolutionary
Cuba had a thriving fashion scene. The end of the Soviet era encouraged a
rebirth. “People here know how to sew. There are lots of good designers and
people are looking for ways to buy the clothes they want,” said del Rio. But
it is “a very slow recovery,” she added.

For the older designer, Raul Castillo, Cuban fashion “is going through a good
moment.” “We are opening to the world,” he said. “It is very important that
Chanel is coming.” The future of fashion will depend on if and when US
lawmakers end the 54-year trade embargo on Cuba — still in place despite
the diplomatic thaw. “When we become a normal country, without the embargo,
we will be leaders of fashion,” Castillo said. (AFP)

#ChanelCruiseCuba #CocoCuba

A photo posted by CHANEL (@chanelofficial) on May 2, 2016 at 5:18pm
PDT