Tyler and I spend a lot of time admiring the unique fashion trends in Havana and pondering how Cubans get their cool clothes. Walking around the city, it’s rare to see clothing and shoe stores, and many of those around seem pretty steep for the average Cuban’s budget. For this week’s blog, we decided to walk around our neighborhood of Vedado and stop particularly stylish Habaneros to ask where they got their clothes and what inspired their look.
We saw Lazaro strutting down Calle G and we were struck by his belt.
Kate & Tyler: Where do you get your clothes?
Lazaro: My wife lives in Spain, so she buys most of my clothes and sends them here, or I buy them there.
K&T: Where do you get your inspiration?
L: I’m a narcissist. Do you know what that means?
K: You love yourself?
L: Exactly, so I don’t get my inspiration from anybody. Everything I wear is exactly my taste; almost everything I buy I send to the tailor.
We caught Alejandro and Nany heading towards school. The two are actors, and insisted that if we wanted to interview them, we needed to walk with them.
K&T: Where do you get your clothes?
A: Here in Cuba there are few clothing stores.
N: You never buy clothes from Cuban stores!
A: You’re right, I never buy clothes here. But when I do, I usually modify them. Most of what we get is from friends or relatives living abroad.
K&T: So for example, where are the things you are wearing right now from?
A: My boots are from France, they are Calvin Klein. The shirt is cheap Cuban, the jacket was a gift and this bag I got from an art festival.
N: We are the same! My bag is from Italy, the jacket from Europe and the rest is from used clothing stores here.
K&T: Where do you get your inspiration?
N: Pop and R&B stars.
A: Movie stars. But I like to wear clothes that don’t make sense for the weather. Like these boots.
We ran into Cesar at a private party for filmmakers and actors involved with the Muestra de Jovenes at the Cuban Institute for Cinematography and Art.
K&T: Where do you get your clothes?
C: Everything I wear is a mix- a lot is from thrift stores here, but I have friends abroad who bring me things when they come to Cuba.
K: What inspires you? That jacket looks so retro.
C: This is actually my mom’s jacket. I get inspiration from going through my mom’s closet and finding crazy things that she used to wear. I also am inspired by trends internationally- I like to look outside of Cuba for my looks.