One of the main legitimations of the Castro regime was equality and therefore fashion was considered a tool for the upper class, an ornament that people could profit.

If there is a time to set up shop, that time is now. The Cuban fashion community has lived in a vacuum, its isolation is prevented by international recognition and local obstacles that prevent it from thriving within its own country. As Rio says, "The talent in Cuba has always been here, is that now, there could be a better opportunity to exercise it."

In the decade of slow recovery after the Special Period, a handful of designers remained in the country, manufacturing and selling clothes in their bedrooms and living rooms. While many refer to Cuba as a country that is frozen in time, with its colonial architecture and classic cars, these designers preserved the centuries-old techniques of the nation's island while also creating a new modern style.


Take María Salomé Morales, a 62-year-old Cuban designer who has her own label, Salomé, since 1996. Salomé Morales specializes in everything that is linen: linen tops, linen skirt, monkeys and guayaberas. Their clothes come with handmade folds and embroidery, and the pieces cost between 30 and 60 CUC.

"You may see people on the streets wearing lycra and cheap pants with sparks, but that does not reflect the Cuban style," says Salomé Morales. "Cubans have always liked to dress well and the style of the country are the classics, like linen, for example, that look very modern and very beautiful."

Sitting in her office one early fall morning, the soft-spoken Salome Morales wears a baby blue linen blouse with matching pants. Stacked on his desk are the latest issues of Spanish and Brazilian Vogue and Harper's Bazaar ("Gifts of Friends," he says).

Two years ago, Salomé Morales bought this house in Miramar, one of the most beautiful residential neighborhoods in Havana, and was gradually renovating to be the headquarters of its fashion line. The front of the house is a boutique with floor to ceiling glass windows and white marble floors that is scheduled to open this month. The back of the house has its office and a workshop, a small room full of patterns and samples, where a team of three seamstresses, a pattern cutter, and an embroiderer make their clothes.

While the artisans work noisily to put the finishing touches on an outdoor patio, Salomé Morales reflects on his entry into the Cuban fashion scene. Originally a textbook publisher, Salomé Morales started her fashion business by taking personalized orders for her friends after obtaining a self-employed license.