The Cuban drag scene continues to be ripe for documentation and exploration. A few years ago, director Paddy Breathnach and writer Mark O’Halloran delved into the glitter midst the crumbling backdrop in Viva.
Now, Irish director/photographer Joshua Gordon focuses on Cuba’s nightlife and transgender communities in a short film called Butterfly which extends into a collaboration offering up a nine-piece capsule collection by cult London streetwear label Aries, but also a book and exhibition.
Gordon spent a month in the capital earning the trust of his subjects who became part of his evocative and saturated portraits.
“When you’re shooting a community like this you have to be mindful of how they want to be perceived. I don’t think it’s fair for me to go to Cuba and tell them what I want to see. It was a big thing to make sure that I could make something they were proud of.”
