How the guayabera gained popularity among politicians around the world
The guayabera was used by peasants at the beginning of its history, however, it became very popular when wealthy Yucatecans began to import them from Cuba to Mexican lands. But the "political boom" occurred in the 70s because of a former Mexican president who chose to wear this garment as official clothing. We tell you the story.
This garment has the singularity of showing off distinguished and elegant in any event or place; it can be at a baptism or business events, even in everyday life, this shirt is comfortable, fresh and adapts to the circumstances, however, when the former Mexican president Luis Echeverría Álvarez appeared at official events wearing fine guayaberas, the social world and politician was paralyzed.
Why was there such a stir around this event?
The political figures of that time were used to wearing jackets, shirts and ties for formal acts, no matter if the weather was cold or hot, the leaders and other members of the government used this type of clothing as clothing official.
From Porfirio Díaz to Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, there are photographs of Mexican presidents who visited the tropical zone of the territory wearing long suits, even though it is known that temperatures in these areas are usually high.
At the end of Díaz Ordaz's six-year term, Luis Echeverría Álvarez, who was his secretary of government, took office. He ruled Mexico from 1970 to 1976. With this head of state, many situations changed in the country in the social sphere. , economic and political, but a sign that is remembered by historians, journalists and citizens of that time, is to see Echeverría use a guayabera in public acts, because with this he sought to break with what was established by his predecessors, at least in terms of image .
This former president toured the country establishing the guayabera as official clothing. You should know that he did not always use them, since he also used to dress in gala suits or formal clothing, but the fact that stands out in his six-year term is the implementation of this garment in certain presidential protocol events.
Since this event, different actors from the Mexican political spheres and also from the world have chosen the guayabera as the clothing worn in events of great importance. Just to mention a few, they are:
- Fidel Castro, who took off his military suit and wore one of these shirts at the 1994 Ibero-American summit.
- King Juan Carlos I, sovereign of Spain, was also seen wearing one at the Ibero-American summit in 2002 and his son King Felipe VI, on three occasions, highlighting the last one that went to the poor neighborhoods of Seville ; After appearing in that Spanish city wearing a guayabera, sales of this shirt skyrocketed.
- Last but not least, three former US presidents also have a guayabera, however the first two have not been seen wearing them, they are Donald Trump, who was given one of these shirts on his tour as a presidential candidate in Miami; Barack Obama, who was also given one of these garments at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia; and Jimmy Carter, who has been seen wearing his guayabera on a visit he made to the Island of Cuba in 2011.
The guayabera is a shirt that breaks protocols wherever it is found, but it does not stop being an inelegant or formal garment, on the contrary, it usually stands out in events of low, medium or high social level Having one of them in the closet can certainly be the ideal option for your next event.
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