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En la conferencia, la profesora Spinelli compartió experiencias con la afamada modista cubana Carmen Fiol, aún activa a sus 92 años. / In the conference, professor Spinelli shared views with famous Cuban dressmaker Carmen Fiol, 92, who's still working.

PROFESSOR CARMELA SPINELLI, FROM THE SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN IN THE U.S., DELIVERED A LECTURE ENTITLED “THE HISTORY OF CHANEL, THE WOMAN, THE BRAND: AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE”

Right before the unveiling of Chanel's Cruise Collection in Havana, in an exclusive interview with Excelencias Magazine, Mrs. Carmela Spinelli said Cuba boasts a confluence of styles that makes it a special place for fashion to flourish here.

Do you already have an opinion about Cuban fashion?
I hadn't seen any Cuban fashion yet, so I didn't know. I have to tell you something, I am very fascinated by this country. I got off the airplane and when I got out I had to hold on, because what I saw and I imagined what it was (it is different), it is incredible. The bones of something incredible can happen here because you grow up understanding art and design; you grow up seeing beautiful buildings and architecture, it is in your subconscious, which is really important to have: an artistic culture. This is a wonderful field of groundwork for fashion to flourish here, but you need to decide what your identity is.

Do you think the uniqueness of Cuba relies on the fact that we have been isolated from the world for so long?
In some ways, I believe that perhaps that is a good thing. Because when you have been shut off you don't have the opportunity to be so derivative, you are not looking at popular. And that's what you should not do once you go out there and see. It is how you interpret all the new ideas and images and how it is relevant for your time. Use the example of Chanel and Schiaparelli, of Karl Lagerfeld, to take your era at the time, to see what it is not out there. We don't need another Caribbean bathing suit! We want to see other things.

Word had it that Karl Lagerfeld would be retiring after the show in Havana. But besides that, what do you think about the importance of this show to Chanel as a brand?
I think choosing Havana was extremely interesting. In his way, (Karl Lagerfeld) has been reverent with the brand, this way. It was very interesting to come here, the top of luxury, and be in a country where it is not that way. I think it's a kind of statement. I don't know, and this is where I have trouble understanding how the population of Cuba felt about this. And that is why it is so controversial, which makes total sense with Karl, absolutely!