CubaPLUS Magazine

Fashion A Multifaceted Talent

By: Roxana de los Ríos Photos: Courtesy of the Designer
Fashion A Multifaceted Talent

Lorenzo Urbistondo is a Cuban fashion designer with a varied academic background which included Lorenzo Urbistondo is a Cuban fashion designer with a varied academic background which included time at the National School of Arts's Faculty of Set and Theatre Design, the School of Industrial Design, and a period at the University of Havana's Architecture School.

Fashion A Multifaceted TalentStudying these diverse subjects provided him with the skills to tackle many different projects. These included several industrial projects such as the design of furniture, accessories, and interiors for hotels and homes.

His career took him to fabric design and then the design of institutional uniforms for such diverse clients as banks, restaurants, and offices. His first collection was in 1983 and he won numerous awards at fairs around the world.

Although he was formally educated as an industrial designer, his relation with the world of fashion began earlier when he was a model at the La Rampa Experimental Workshop in the late 1960's.

He has released numerous collections in recent years and has worked as a costume designer for dance groups such as Danza Aguas and Ballet Rakatan and for musicical bands such as Sintesis, an icon of Afro-Cuban fusion on the island. He has also worked in fashion and has had a prominent role in wardrobe design for movies. The list of Cuban films include Papeles secundarios, Adorables mentiras, Un paraíso bajo las estrellas. Las noches de Constantinopla and Perfecto amor equivocado. In the latter, he also served as the Art Director.

Fashion A Multifaceted TalentHis most recent movies include Aventureras de los Mares del Sur, a French movie directed by Daniel Vigne, and the soon to be released Un Té en la Habana by Fina Torres.

His achievements have been acknowledged with two Caracol Awards from the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists for the movies Un paraíso bajo las estrellas and Las noches de Constantinopla.

He recently told CubalPLUS, "my inspiration is directed to the contemporary urban man with a casual touch. Generally, my colours, influenced by the colour board of the year, pass through the grey and dark tones both with a mixture of accents and controlled colours."

He currently lives and works in Havana, Cuba.

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