Vicente Morin Aguado
Why Clandestina? The answer to that question defines the project, determined to sell what Idania calls “a new concept of the Cuban souvenir”: “My friend and companion on this adventure, Leire Fernandez, from the Basque country, loves Cuban director Fernando Perez’s films. One of which was “Clandestinos”. However, as we’re also women and are trying to go against the mainstream, we too are clandestinas (underground) in a sense.”
The shop is well located next to the Christ park on Villegas Street, on the corner with Teniente Rey, officially baptized Brazil Street. Walking into the shop, one is immediately captivated by the kind of design these two women are promoting. The Cuban woman graduated from the Advanced Institute of Industrial Design (ISDI) and the Basque woman is a linguist and publicist: “We’re a very good pair together. Leire handles the concept and I take care of the designs, although we share everything.”
What’s your idea, the meaning captured in these images? – Idania answers: “We’re trying to make a marketable cultural product that defines modern Cuba, its youthful freshness. We don’t copy famous brands, nor what’s called “Imagen Cuba” which is sold at state stores, selling outdated goods, or mimicked representations which are sold at independent arts and crafts markets.
They sell posters, t-shirts, hats, baskets, keyrings, fans, cushions, bags, toys; in short, an ever increasing number of items available at a competitive rate. Idania tells us a little bit about her daily activities at the store:
“We take into account the going prices on the market around us and we try to search for a balance without depreciating our art. Our customers first began coming from the neighborhood, then wandering tourists started coming. We particularly like the fact that Cubans who are about to travel abroad and are looking for something different to take as a gift, who want to take a piece of Cuba with them, come and visit us.”
How do you tackle a project? Do you accept proposals made by others?: “Yes- the interviewee answers- we’ve received proposals from prestigious designers such as Nelson Ponce and Gustavo Lara to name just a couple, although the bulk of our work comes from the Clandestina staff itself.”
As you’ve graduated from the best design university in Cuba, we’re interested to know if your university years really helped you when it came to working in the real world:
“The training you receive at the ISDI is very good, it’s very technical. I still use some of the tools I learnt during my time there, although I believe that the study programs are somewhat distanced from culture. Anyway, it’s wrong to think that you can learn everything at school.”
Is publicity a new direction for you?
They’re particularly interested in the concept of upcycling. You can see this in the artworks they’ve created called Vintrashes. They buy clothes at the popularly known “traipichopins”, a mix and idiomatic corruption of the words Trapo (rags) and Shoppings (shopping centers). Clothes which have lost all of their value gain new life and become an attractive item thanks to art.
On Villegas Street, on the corner of Teniente Rey, with the old panorama of Christ park in front, a modern, fresh, proposal for Cuban souvenirs awaits Cubans and visitors alike, different from the same old political slogans and images.
The main promoter of a project worthy of success, Idania del Rio isn’t afraid of the challenges Cuba faces today:
“Design is my life, my passion. It’s a complex thing; it needs art, industry, technology to come out of a computer. I try to promote the value of design within Cuban society.”
Vicente Morin Aguado: muchasemes@outlook.com
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