Guadalupe Blázquez talks about the world of fashion in Cuba

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

Cuban model Guadalupe Blázquez Suri (born in Camagüey, December 10, 1995) told me right away that she started modeling at the age of 18 after being discovered by a photographer while she was talking with some friends in a park. After signing with the agency Víctor-Fashion, she took part in runway shows at the Galerías de Paseo shopping mall in Vedado. This led to Estudio 50 where she met Luis Mario and was hired for a couple of assignments. Later, some successful lingerie advertising assignments for foreign publications followed.

Guadalupe comes across as a multi-level professional, a young lady who has very clear concepts about how to conduct herself in a very visible profession, both in Cuba and abroad. Her youthful candor and the measured and decisive way in which she speaks are part of her decidedly sensual image.

At one point in our chat she told me that she had studied saxophone at the elementary level in her home town of Camagüey. At the age of 14, she arrived in Havana and enrolled in the National Arts School (ENA) and subsequently at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory of Music, from which she graduated.

These days she performs as a musician three times a week at the Casa Migli Bar and one of her goals, it seems, is to one day put together a small group made up only of women. She goes on to explain to us that switching back and forth from music to modeling is a rather complicated affair.  Both activities require a lot of time and she finds herself being forced to be extremely flexible when juggling these two responsibilities. Her technique is to try to make them mesh together because she firmly believes they can be mutually enriching.

Although she has taken part in a number of music videos promoted by Casa Migli, she thinks that continuously doing the same thing, such as, for example, always appearing in reggaeton videos, could have the effect of harming and minimizing her image due to over-exposure and therefore result in a loss of exclusivity. It is pretty clear that Guadalupe is carefully considering each of her moves and commitments carefully, concentrating on the possibilities, and waiting for the best opportunities to come her way.

Standing out among some of her most recent jobs is the Artex advertising campaign, especially the Colección Lauros del 2016, because it promoted the essential values of creation in Cuba. When the French couture house of Chanel held a casting for the runway show it will stage in Havana on the 3^rd of May, Guadalupe took part and, after ending up among fifty finalists, she and two other girls were selected for a historical fashion show that will surely become an important precedent for the future of the Cuban modeling and fashion industry. She is also currently involved in the shooting of the eighth installment of Fast and Furious in Havana.

Guadalupe spoke to us about how she sees the future of modeling in Cuba. She hopes that the changes taking place at the present time will be very beneficial for the model market and added: “They say that Cuba is fashionable; now many come to Cuba not only to enjoy the country but also thinking of the business opportunities that can be established here. Things are changing and as soon as the large corporations which need advertising get here, this process is going to pick up speed; advertising is a very important element in every kind of business. And that is going to open up many more possibilities.”

When we ask her about Cuba’s image in the world of fashion today, she says that some people in Cuba are just beginning to appreciate what good taste entails when it comes to dressing. She believes that fashion as a whole has to be appreciated via the visual. She also acknowledges that Cuba’s most talented designers are an elitist group that has no real direct contact with the people on the street. For that connection to happen, she thinks we just have to let some time go by. But she is very optimistic and for now, her energy knows no bounds.