On 24 June, the Avilanian boulevard once again experienced a fashion show from the Avilanian company Guayza D’Frank, which, upon reaching its 26th anniversary, continues to surprise and create fashion designs ranging from colour and the most serious shapes to the boldest tones and fabrics that defy the laws of physics. And on the night of 24 June, the Avilanian boulevard in front of the Casa del Joven Creador, headquarters of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS), was the agreed venue for yet another loving encounter with its followers and the general public, an essential and vital meeting.

Although the lighting did not accompany the staging — for a fashion runway, it is ideal for models and designs to be seen, and in the shadows it becomes complicated to see and look — the truth is that Guayza D’Frank captivated with those garments that traverse the body and adorn it naturally. Applause and cheers were not long in coming when one model or another walked the runway, and the fabrics seemed to fill with life of their own as they caressed the eyes.

From a 3-year-old girl, as part of Guayza ‘Kids, to a young man over 20, here the model knows no distinction nor suffers marginalisation. Everyone gets their chance with designs that are in perfect harmony with those age groups, and it is beautiful to see them strut with a certain pride, displaying works of art. Because it is not just about walking and gliding down the carpet; it is also about feeding off the audience’s reactions and playing along with them. Responding with grace, following the essence of the show, and above all, showing off the garment being worn. And in that, Frank and his stylist are also masters.

Because they know how to converse, demand, captivate and motivate good performance.

The 26 years that now weigh on the prestige of this company say exactly that: Guayza D’Frank is image, but also a sense of life. It is Cuban essence and good taste. It is the clothing we can acquire in any store of the Cuban Fund for Cultural Goods (FCBC), and it is what we can imitate if we are blessed with sewing skills. It is a way of facing life and its vicissitudes through threads that, in the most beautiful weave, shelter our soul and what we are.

Three international awards, a curriculum that places them under the gaze of artists and demanding people, scholars or simple admirers, plus other details that many already know, validate the conviction that the cultural system itself in the city of the porticos came to reference with the presentation of decorations and recognitions on behalf of the FCBC itself, the provincial culture sector, the Cuban Association of Artisan Artists, among others.

A show filled with magical moments, with fire and bright lights, projections of images showing the company’s trajectory, was another chapter of celebration for 26 years of intense life dedicated to fashion, body garments and offering another colour to what we live daily.

Guayza D’Frank should think more about the importance of clarity in its fashion shows and avoid holding them at night if they are in public spaces. Because with blackouts or coloured stage lights, the design, the clothing, the models and the masks are lost.

That is what makes every fashion company a common place, a way of life. But it mustn’t lose its capacity to dream and to dream big, because this evolution of artist and fabric still has much to say and dream about.