Wafting up in the bluish haze of a good cigar come amazingly lovely creations of overflowing imagination. These are the elements that mark the Arte y Moda editions, a joint annual project thought up by Rafael Mendez in which a bunch of recognized Cuban designers in tow that tailor garments inspired in the works of art of painters. These are no runway apparels, but rather the very essence of an artistic recreation. Its double-edged art.

In its 2006 edition entitled The Metamorphosis of Markings –a group of lithographic works conceived to single out and embellish the presentation of those products churned out by the centuries-old cigar making industry- has panned out to be a paradigm of fashion design in which colorfulness, a multitude of shapes, symbols and iconographic details likened to the different brands of Cuban cigars are the name of the game. The 19th- and 20th-century creations motivate, inspire and goad imagination into extremely updated bold designs that rely on fabrics and elements that are now making their big break in the realm of fashion.

This collection that pays tribute to the art of cigar making consists of twenty garments featuring exceptional attributes ingrained in them. Half a dozen creations are based on the works of outstanding painters Nelson Dominguez, Flora Fong, Isabel Santos, Yosvany Martinez and Michel Mirabal, and silversmith Jose Rafart, with clothing designed by Maray Pereda, Salome Morales, Otto Chaviano, Jorge Luis Gonzalez, Liang Dominguez and Mr. Mirabal himself.

The exceptionality of this collection hinges on the fact that motifs are not solely based on memorable markings, but also on a variety of trades and walks of life somewhat related to the art and pleasure of cigars.

It’s interesting to note that out of the fourteen markings represented in the designs, three of them belong to current brands: Rome & Juliet, a brand that’s been around since the 19th century and that is this time around animated by Maite Dumenigo with her line of neo-renaissance garments suitable for the contemporary look of Shakespeare’s characters; Cohiba, with geometric lines and gaudy elements in an imaginative collection pieced together by Jesus Frias (CHUCHY), and San Cristobal de la Habana, an architectural model full of colonial-era, baroque-style chromatic contrasts made in patchworks, rigged with outer stitches and sewn by Alina Nuñez.

The rest of the markings bear the prints of master designers like Rafael de Leon (Habanos 1830) who projects a restless image of elegance and mixed looks contrasted in soft-fabric shirts that are no strangers to the tough appearance of the whole collection. Piedad Subirats’ La Gloria’s Art Deco Image is a dress that suggests the Phrygian Cap, a vision of the Republic captured with elegance and renovation.

A breed of young, talented designers has also taken on the job and come up with something of their own. Rigoletto by Ignacio Carmona (NACHY) –made in crochet and laden with spangles and tinsels- pack a wallop for the senses. This collection comes along with a mascara eked out by painter Vicente Rodriguez Bonachea. With The Cuban Flower, Mario Freixas achieves a peculiarly eclectic collection based on macramé, ceramic beads, embroideries and hard-thread stitches, while Ceramic Vase (19th century) gives Eidania Perez Casas and Lourdes Leon a simple assortment of blue-shaded garments crowned by an umbrella made of papier maché.

Moreover, The Flower by Jose Suarez Murias, Alberto Leal; Cuba’s Flower by Obniel Garcia and Fidel Aguilera; Venus by Rolando Rius; Santa Damiana by Yordanka Gonzalez; AHistory of Tobacco by Salomé Morales, and Ocean Pearl by Rosa Diaz and Bertha Anissa Pradere are major standouts as well. The finishing touch is contributed by Elker Soto, whose admirably professional photography provides different views of each and every garment and dress, highlighting the grace of the designs.