For the last several years the Guayabera, or more commonly referred to as the Cuban Guayabera Shirt, has become a fashion trend in the United States. The shirts unique style design of front pockets, pleats and embroidered patterns has been the preferred attire for businessmen throughout Latin America. With the embargos placed on Cuba, Mexico has been the top producer of the Guayabera for the last half century.
Mexico was once the “go to” country for cheap labor, but today Mexican manufacturers are fighting exporters from Asian countries, where wages are much lower. In recent years quite a number of Guayabera factories have closed. Merida, Mexico in the Yucatan Penninsula, the capital of the guayabera industry, has been hit hard by Asian competitors, who have copied and sold the shirts to U.S. markets at cut rate prices.
Clothing exports from Mexico to the United States have been declining for the past ten years.
The sales of the Mexican Wedding Shirt, another name for the Guayabera, have fallen about 20 percent. Lourdes Rodriguez, head of the clothing business chamber in Yucatan has said that “the arrival of guayaberas from Asian countries has lowered our production.” Raul maglioni, a guayabera manufacturer said “We don’t have access to popular markets like Wal-Mart or Kmart. They demand prices we can’t afford. If they ask for five or six dollars, we can’t do it.”
The difficulty that Mexican Guayabera manufacturers have been experiencing is only a small reflection of Mexico’s dire export problem. In the last few years China has overtaken Mexico as the top exporter to the United States. The increased demand for the Cuban Guayabera Shirt by world markets and the increase in designer specialty shirts has only worsened this mexican industry.
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Today the country of Cuba is divided into fourteen provinces, but just after the Spanish American War in 1905 there were only six. Almost in the island’s center was the province of Las Villas. Today that province has been divided into three. One of these three provinces is named Sancti Spiritus, named after the town by the same name. Sancti Spiritus is near the Yayabo River, where the legend of the Guayabera Shirt was born.
To this day, the origin of the Guayabera is a matter of debate, but Cuban legend has the shirt originating in this area. To set this legend to rest, the Cuban government established a cultural program called “La Guayabera” at the Ruben Martinez Villena Library in Sancti Spiritus. This program consists of a collection of Guayabera shirts and photograhs donated by many Cuban personalities.
Among these personalities were Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. Fidel donated the Guayabera shirt he wore at the 4th Ibero-American Summit in Cartegena, Columbia. For this occasion Fidel had replaced his traditional olive green uniform with a crisp white Guayabera shirt for the heads of state and the world to see.
It has been said that one of the most famous personalities to have worn the Guayabera was Ernest Hemmingway, though no pictures have been found. After World War II, Hemingway purchased a home, Finca Vigia, near Havana, Cuba. In 1952 he wrote a story of a tired old Cuban fisherman and his battle with a giant marlin called “The Old Man and the Sea” for which he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.
Several US politicians have also worn Guayabera shirts, including two presidents. In the 1980’s, when Ronald Reagan visited Ferdinand Marcos in the Phillipines, he put one on. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, also wore one when he visited Cuba in 2002. He was the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since the 1959 revolution. And presidential runner Mitt Romney had one on when he attended a ralley at a youth center named after Jorge Mas Canosa, the founder of the Cuban-American National Foundation.
On a negative note, the agents of the Cuban secret service known as the General Directorate for State Security (DGSE), wear Guayaberas as their civilian incognito uniform. And Raul Castro had a specially designed Guayabera made for the military.
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What is a Guayabera? A Guayabera is a traditional Cuban shirt. Linen is the fabric of choice, but they also come in cotton or in a poly/cotton blend. Cuban Guayabera Shirts are flattering and comfortable. They come in all sizes and they make you look and feel good even when the weather is hot and humid.
The Guayabera is also known as Mexican Wedding Shirt. Guayaberas have always been worn by unique individuals, a tradition, carried on from generation to generation. The Guayabera is the perfect attire for any occasion. This unique shirt gives you the freshness, comfort and elegance that you require for that special occasion. The shirt is worn outside the trousers allowing for easy movement and comfortability. Guayabera shirts will help you easily maintain your composure during times of stress. They are the ideal summer casual dress shirt.
If you’re looking for an updated version of the classic guayabera? The designs of Debra Torres has taken the traditional Guayabera Shirt and given it a modern American flair. By using vibrant color and innovative designs, Debra Torres has added some flair to this distinctive classic shirt. Ideal for a beach wedding or for just a walk in the park, Debra Torres Guayabera Shirts come in short sleeve or long-sleeve with regular and French cuffs. With all of the different designs, fabrics, and colors that Debra Torres uses, the guayabera will help solve all your wardrobe needs.
Cuban-born George Feldenkreis known as the “Guayabera King” and his brother Isaac started a company called Cubavera, based on the premise that consumers buy products that they identify
with and trust. From the beginning the Cubavera brand has incorporated the ideals of joy and “sabor” of Latin culture with line of Guayabera shirts and other apparel. The designs of Lorenzo Ramos is appropriate for today’s diversified lifestyle with its cool, clean and relaxed look. The clothes are comfortable and easy to care for, giving them the relaxed casual elegance, which are the foundations of the brand.
The comfort, freshness and simplicity of style have made this shirt resist the impact of time. From its beginnings as a simple and practicle garment to the modern colorful styles of today, the Cuban Guayabera Shirt is a testament to latin culture.
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