These New Celia Cruz Graphic Tees Will Have You Singing “Quimbara Quimbara”
Whenever she stepped on a stage, salsa legend Celia Cruz gave us plenty of candela (meaning “fire” or “spark”) — and, 14 years after her passing, the Havana-bred singer is still considered the undisputed Queen of Salsa, her crown unreachable to even the most promising and ambitious talents. As the executor of Celia Cruz’s estate and the director of the Celia Cruz Legacy Project, Omer Pardillo-Cid, the late singer’s former manager and one of her dearest friends, has vowed to keep her memory alive and to educate younger generations about her contributions to society as a whole. After all, La Guarachera de Cuba not only helped to mold the Nuyorican salsa sound, but she empowered Afro-Latinos by incorporating African rhythms into her music and celebrating her blackness through her lyrics and style of dress. Moreover, she emerged as a feminist icon thanks to her unbreakable spirit and her ability to emerge as a force of nature within the male-dominated salsa world, becoming the only female singer within Fania All-Stars and enjoying a distinguished career that spanned over 50 years. For Cuban exiles, meanwhile, Cruz was a symbol of the duality of the immigrant experience: that combined sense of gain (in the sense of freedom from Fidel Castro’s oppressive political regime and of greater access to education and employment) and of loss (missing the sights, smells, sounds, customs, foods, and feel of your homeland). Her legacy, then, extends far beyond the realm of music, and keeping Cruz’s memory alive is key to preserving Latino and Latin American history.
To that end, Pardillo-Cid called upon Versal Studio founders Marietta Gonzalez and Abel Ferro to create a line of merchandise featuring items ranging from T-shirts and tank tops to throw pillows, graphic art posters, cotton totes, and cell phone cases — all bearing the singer’s likeness or referencing her songs, style, and famous ad libs. The tanks and tees shown here, then, are a small assortment of the designs available exclusively at CeliaCruz.store.
My favorite design is the Celia Cruz “Yo Viviré” Tank Top ($32.99 at CeliaCruz.store) shown above at top, which features a whimsical illustration by Havana-based graphic artist Tinti Nodarse. On the shirt, Cruz is depicted as a caricature-esque figure, her Afro larger than life — like she wore it on so many album covers, including 1974’s Celia & Johnny, an album recorded with Johnny Pacheco, and 1977’s Only They Could Have Made This Album, recorded with Willie Colón — and her lips painted a bright red, her mouth open and the word “Azúcar”(which translates to “sugar”) seemingly emanating from inside of her. Whenever I think of Celia Cruz, the word “Azúcar” comes to mind as it was her signature catchphrase, and there’s something about the playfulness of this design, along with the “Azúcar” reference that warms my heart.
Another fun design is the Celia Cruz “Made in Cuba” Short Sleeve T-shirt ($36.99 at CeliaCruz.store), pictured third from top, which features a Cubism-inspired image of the late singer. Created by Berlin-based graphic designer Meybis Ruiz, the design uses juxtaposed geometric shapes to create an image of Celia Cruz, with the differences in shading helping to draw the eye to different elements such as her headband, her ball drop earrings, and her wide smile. The style of the piece reminds me of the works of Wilfredo Lam, a Cuban-born artist who was heavily influenced by Pablo Picasso and experimented with Cubism in his works during the late 1930s.
One of the most clever designs is the Celia Cruz “Empire State Shoes” Tank Top ($32.99 at CeliaCruz.store), shown fourth above, which references the custom-made shoes popularized by the Queen of Salsa. Contrary to public perception, it was Celia Cruz — not Daphne Guinness, Lady Gaga, or Victoria Beckham — who first turned heads in a pair of heel-less shoes. In fact, in 1997, Cruz donated her beloved gold vinyl heel-less platform wedges, which were designed by Mexican shoemaker Mr. Nieto, to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. This tank, then, features a rendering of Cruz’s sculptural shoe, but the base of the platform wedge contains a silhouette of the Empire State Building. The design, then, conveys the impact that Cruz had on New York City, how she left a footprint for other salseros to follow, how she left an indelible mark in the history of Latin music.
Make sure to check out all the designs at the Celia Cruz Store and wear your favorite with a smile on your face. After all, remember her words: la vida es un carnaval! Time to enjoy the ride!
