A brief history of the Guayabera - and why it still belongs in every wardrobe
Few garments carry as much geography, politics, and elegance in a single piece of fabric as the Guayabera. It is, at once, a working shirt, a dress shirt, a diplomatic uniform, and a summer staple — and it has been all of these things for over three centuries.
A shirt born in the Caribbean
The Guayabera's exact origins are contested with the passion you'd expect of something so beloved. Cuba and Mexico both stake a claim, with most associating the shirt with the country. The most sung Cuban account traces it to the Yayabo River valley in central Cuba around the 1700s, where a tailor's wife supposedly sewed large front pockets onto her husband's shirts to carry guayabas - guavas - picked from their farm. The shirt spread among sugarcane workers, plantation owners, and eventually the entire island.
Mexico counters with the Yucatán Peninsula, where a near-identical garment called the camisa yucateca developed independently among tradespeople and landowners who needed a light, breathable alternative to the formal European dress shirts of the colonial era. The truth is probably that both traditions evolved in parallel, shaped by similar climates and similar needs.
From cane fields to heads of state
What makes the Guayabera remarkable is its social mobility. By the mid-20th century it had transcended from agricultural workers to the highest levels of government. In Cuba, it became so embedded in professional life that it was formally accepted as an alternative to a jacket and tie. Fidel Castro wore one. So did Jimmy Carter when he visited Cuba. In 1999, the Guayabera was officially declared the national costume of Cuba.
Across Latin America, the story repeated itself. In Mexico, it became the preferred shirt of politicians giving speeches in the tropical heat of the Yucatán. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it's simply what you wear to a wedding or a dinner party. The United States absorbed it through Miami, where Cuban exiles made it a fixture of the city's identity.
Left, Cuba's President Raul Castro, with Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura right (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
American author Ernest Hemingway left, with Gary Cooper in Cuba 1956 (Photograph by Inge Morath/Magnum Photos)
President Ronald Reagan and designer Ramón Puig at the Cuban American National Foundation rally in Miami, May 20, 1983. (Official White House Photo/Ronald Reagan Presidential Library).
Anatomy of the Budd Guayabera shirt
Budd’s Guayabera was designed in collaboration with cigar aficionados, Kirby Allison and Eddie Sahakian of Davidoff of London fame. It follows traditional design accents and includes two vertical rows of alforzas - fine hand-pleats that run from collar to hem on the front of the shirt and down the centre back, four front pockets (two chest, two hip), and a straight hem with vents. It is designed to be worn untucked. It has long sleeves with a button cuff and is finished with mother of pearl buttons.
In order to make the Guayabera fully practical, we followed the advice of Kirby and Eddie, adding a sewn channel to the left breast pocket in order to hold cigars snugly in place and reinforcing the lower pockets with hidden internal pockets so as to allow for a phone, lighter and cutter to be carried without ruining the line of the shirt.
When and how to wear it
Today the Guayabera plays a very versatile role within a wardrobe and in warmer months can be worn just about anywhere. Knowing when and how to deploy it is really a matter of context, climate, and fabric. It’s a great piece for wearing casually at weekends and on holiday, but also works as a louche smart-casual option for social occasions. Wear it to a summer wedding or party, dressing it up with evening trousers should the event dictate formality or with tailored cotton/linen day trousers and a leather shoe for a smart but breezy day-time event, and finally paired with shorts and sneakers or espadrilles for a relaxed out of office vibe. There are no rules with a Guayabera shirt – you are neither over or underdressed and therein lies much of its charm!
