José Benedí: The Cuban Designer Who Fuses the Spirit of the Era with Female Strength

May 21, 2023

Born in Cuba in the 1970s, José Benedí has become a recognized name in the international fashion world. The Cuban grew up immersed in the textile industry, thanks to his family who had businesses in this sector.

"I grew up surrounded by fabrics from the 1950s, old international fashion magazines with yellowed pages of dresses and furs," he explains on his official website.

From an early age, Benedí showed a fascination with fashion and design. "At the age of six, I took apart my mother's favorite dress into pieces, just to discover how it was made. Of course, I sewed it back together," the designer also recalls.

Even though Design was not recognized as a career in Cuba when he finished his pre-university studies, Benedí found ways to explore his passion. "I decided to cut up my school suitcase to make leather pockets for a pair of pants that seemed boring to me," he confessed in an interview. His background in Biology has also influenced his work, with anatomy and plant forms present in his designs.

Benedí began his career designing custom-made clothing tailored to his clients' requests. For seven years, he was a designer for La Maison, the most prestigious fashion house in Havana. His career took a leap when he became a finalist in the Italian competition Mittelmoda, an international contest he was encouraged to enter by Pedro Contreras, graphic designer and curator.

Since then, Benedí has worked to overcome national barriers. In 1999, he moved to London to study Fashion and in 2002 he relocated to Germany, specifically to the city of Hamburg, which he fell in love with. In Germany, Benedí is considered "a reference for quality," according to an interview with the German media DW.

In 2005, Benedí launched his brand Bénédí and won the biggest annual fashion award in Düsseldorf, at one of Europe's most prestigious events. Since then, his designs have been worn by celebrities such as Ivana Trump and Angelina Jolie. Additionally, he won the jury's first prize in the New Faces Award and was chosen as best designer in the Red Carpet category at the MTV Fashion Awards.

Benedí's creations are a fusion of politics, religion, and the spirit of the era. "In this complicated world, woman is strong, she imposes herself and asserts herself. Therefore, my creations combine both elements: on one hand, murky colors; on the other, a clean cut," the designer has explained.

This innovative and gender-neutral approach can be seen in his work with his friend Jorge González, model, stylist, choreographer, and actor, whom he dressed for the contest "Let's Dance".