Our Story

NOSTALGIA FOR WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: What is HABANAWEAR™?

Imagine that the ebb and flow of life was perfect; that certain events didn't happen, and that history somehow had another alternative. Imagine Cuba as a pristine, Caribbean resort destination, void of the anguishing past and void of the incarceration of a culture through the turmoil of extreme ideologies. It is here that mystical places like CopaBana, 'BanaVieja, "VanaRisa, the Habana Yacht Club, Habana Beach and the artistic influences in our line of clothing, home decor and just "Cuban Things" live.  A time and place where the daiquiris, Cuba Libres, and the sound of Perez Prado's "Que Rico el Mamba" or Celia Cruz's "Quimbara", the sun, the fishing and everything that was, is, and could be Cuba is represented through HabanaWear™. Our items offer a glimpse of an alternative universe, a happy and fun, everlasting love for Cuba, past, present, and future without politics. HabanaWear™, where Cuba continues to be paradise!

 

WHO ARE WE?- A Prism of Cuba through the eyes of children

Tom Gonzalez

I left Cuba at the age of ten, and I vaguely recall the chaos, but I took with me the rhythm, joy of family, music and food that I so dearly loved. I grew up in Cuba during the 60's up until 1971. Call it naive or just not paying attention, somehow, growing up in Cuba during the revolution didn't dampen that feeling of "felicidad" of being Cuban. 

After many years living in America, as I got older, a strange fog of nostalgia appeared, especially after my father's passing. The fog was full of those happy memories of Cuban culture and somehow they thrive in memories of things that really never were. As an example, I could see the Habana Yacht Club; I would see the fun and games and the wonderful carnival of life with the "guarapos" (Sugarcane drinks) flowing or "pirulis" (a Cuban lollipop) of flavors yet to come, but... there was no such thing. There never existed a Habana Yacht Club, nor a CopaBana or even a beach called Playa Habana (Habana Beach), but the impression of those places live on still today. Perhaps it was that I lived in an apartment right next to La Tropical or because I could hear the music from the famous Tropicana just blocks away. All of that is irrelevant, but what is not is my impression of an amazing culture and my interpretation of it all through our designs. HabanaWear™ is for my dad Filiberto Tomas Gonzalez and my father-in-law Al Fernandez.

 

Johann Berenguer

Having to endure the Mariel Boat Lift as a 5 year old kid is traumatic enough. Yet, I try to look at things from a different perspective. Even though I have lived most of my life in America, I still have Cuban blood running through my veins and when I hear the Cuban artist Willy Chirino's song, "Nuestro Dia Viene Llegando" (Our day is coming), I get chills and the hairs on my arms stand. I am as Cuban today as I was at the age of 5. I remember playing outside, knocking down coconuts from a palm tree at my grandmother's house, and riding around the neighborhood on a horse and carriage for the price of 5 centavos. Living in Miami so many years doesn't allow you to forget Cuba, for you are constantly reminded of it by Cubans alike: the language, culture, music, dance, and food it's a never ending reminder. The nostalgia Tom speaks of reigns true, especially when you see videos of what Cuba once was, leaving you with a hope that it will some day be the Cuba that it was before the revolution. However, even through 62+ years of that, the Cuban people remain the same, with a smile and a hope for a future that has never come. Yet, they go on, wearing a patch of pride in their hearts, and a Carribean flare like no other. HabanaWear™ is for Tom's dad, for our families, and Cubans around the world that always carry Cuba in their hearts, "con un flan o dulce de leche para llevar..."Smoke a cigar with us and let's enjoy the nostalgia!