Havana: French fashion house Chanel brought glamour back to Communist-ruled Cuba on Tuesday in a runway show on one of Havana’s main boulevards, featuring glittering gowns, tulle cocktail dresses and models in Panama hats smoking cigars.
With the heart of the Cuban capital briefly privatised by an international corporation under the watchful eye of the Cuban state, the premiere of Chanel’s 2016/2017 “cruise” line offered a startling sight in a country officially dedicated to social equality and the rejection of material wealth.
Chanel welcomed the chance to show its creations in an unusual spot. “To explore new horizons is a way to fire imaginations and renew the vision of our brand while sharing the culture and heritage of the locations chosen for our fashion shows,” it said in a statement.
The show was the most extreme manifestation to date of the hot new status Cuba has assumed in the international art and cultural scene since the December 2014 declaration of detente with the US.
Chanel's performance at the Prado promenade in Havana, on May 3, 2016. (Image Credit: AFP)
US President Barack Obama visited in March, the Rolling Stones performed in Havana the same week, the first US cruise in nearly four decades docked on Monday and the latest instalment of the multibillion-dollar Fast and Furious action movie franchise is filming here now; its star, actor Vin Diesel, attended the show.
Celebrities including actress Tilda Swinton and supermodel Gisele Bundchen jetted into the Caribbean island for the show that evoked the elegance of pre-revolutionary Cuba, arriving at the venue in vintage convertibles.
The Cuban contingent included former President Fidel Castro’s grandson Tony, an aspiring model, which raised some eyebrows, given the leader’s railings against capitalism.
“It is an honour for all Cubans for this big event to take place here,” said Castro, 17, whose grandfather was also known for his good looks as a young revolutionary.
US actor Vin Diesel arrivesat the Prado promenade in Havana, on May 3, 2016 to watch the Chanel performance. (Image Credit: AFP)
“The world is finally opening up to Cuba. Everyone wants to come taste the forbidden fruit. Everyone wants to discover it, savour it, enjoy it, explore it,” said Mariela Castro, the daughter of President Raul Castro and a prominent gay-rights activist on the island.
Karl Lagerfeld, who has been at Chanel’s creative helm since 1983, has said his latest inter-seasonal Cruise collection was inspired by the “cultural richness and opening up of Cuba.” Cuban motifs in the new Cruise line were exemplified in a fabric depicting turquoise and pink vintage cars used for leisurewear such as jackets, a bathrobe and skirts.
Sequinned black berets also recalled the non-glitzy one sported by late revolutionary hero Ernesto “Che” Guevara, a national hero in Cuba.
By showcasing its Cruise collection in Cuba, Chanel has said it was harking back to the roots of the line, originally designed for wealthy Americans holidaying on yachts and cruises in the Caribbean to escape the winter grey.
Models present creations by German designer Karl Lagerfeld as part of his latest inter-seasonal Cruise collection for fashion house Chanel at the Paseo del Prado street in Havana, Cuba, May 3, 2016. (Image Credit: Reuters)
US cruises to Cuba were forbidden during the country’s standoff with the US.
Lagerfeld, 82, is known for his lavish show settings and has created a mock casino, supermarket and brasserie in the past.
This time, he let the faded glamour of Havana, once a wealthy port, speak for itself.
During a 25-minute show set to live Cuban music, his models strutted down a 160-metre section of the leafy Paseo del Prado, lined with ornate street lamps and bronze lions.
Some Cubans criticised Chanel, the second-biggest luxury brand behind LVMH’s Louis Vuitton, for choosing to showcase its new line in a country starved of material opulence.
Chanel goods, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, are not sold in Cuba and most citizens could not even dream of affording them. About 70 per cent of Cuban workers work for the state, on an average salary of $25 (Dh91) every month.
Others said the show gave their dreams wings to fly.
“Just because I can’t afford it doesn’t mean I want to deny others that luxury,” said accountant Marilia Veliz, 44.
“And who knows, maybe one day. It’s important to dream.”
