Chanel shows in Cuba, despite brand not available

French luxury house Chanel on Tuesday showcased its latest Cruise collection in Cuba, as part of its cosmopolitan take to show local fashion abroad.

The irony is that the brand is not available for purchase and customers have to go the USA or Europe to buy its goods. Chanel products would also not fit the average Cuban's wage of 17 pounds per month, but now we digress.

Availability aside, the Chanel pr machine ensured camera-ready celebrities including Gisele Bundchen and Vin Diesel gathered at the leafy World Heritage Site Paseo del Prado promenade which was transformed into a spectacular runway. Regular Cuban citizens were kept safely behind police lines to watch the show as hashtags with #chancelcruisecuba went viral on social medial.

Chanel's Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld opened a photographic exhibition "Obra en Proceso" or Work in Progress," to coincide with the Chanel Cruise show. He stated his latest collection was inspired by Cuba's "cultural richness".

Cruise collections reminiscent of distant horizons

Last year Chanel took to Seoul to show its Cruise collection. At the time Lagerfeld said: "The spirit of these collections is to conjure up images of distant horizons. They are inspired by a theme or identity that is often associated with a new destination. There is nothing folky or nostalgic about it; the idea is to capture the ambiance of a place, to draw inspiration from its landscapes, to be influenced by its people, its light, its culture, its colors...

"Every silhouette is a representation of a new reality mixing old and new worlds, modernity, and a personal interpretation. From this melting pot of influences, from these redefined touches, a new collection is born, between two seasons."

Images: Chanel.com, Chanel Facebook