Mica Argañaraz in Holiday Magazine's SS-2022 Cuba Issue by Daniyel Lowden

Top model Mica Argañaraz travels south of Miami, gracing the pages of Holiday Magazine #389 Spring 2022 issue, shot in Cuba. Tony Irvine styles Argentinian-born Argañaraz in images by Daniyel Lowden [IG]./ Hair by Kalle Eklund; makeup by Ari Regina

Two political notes at a moment when the world is awash in conflict, and in the savage assault by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine in particular.

1) It was Mica Argañaraz who launched the drive for fashion models walking the spring 2022 fashion shows to donate part or all of their earnings to Ukraine relief. Mica’s call to action was shared by Gigi Hadid and then Bella, who broadcast her call for models to walk the runway for a cause bigger than themselves.

2) Holiday Magazine’s focus on Cuba and the Cuban people comes at a time of increasing repression in the country. In July 2021, Cuba saw major protests, the largest in decades, in the Communist country, resulting in over 1000 protesters being arrested.

In recent days those 129 defendants went on trial because unauthorized public gatherings are illegal in Cuba. Among the 129 defendants on trial, only one was acquitted. The remaining 128 protesters recently put on trial were found guilty of sedition and theft and sentenced to jail terms of between six and 30 years.

AOC acknowledges and supports the efforts of protesters in Cuba to shine a light on their severe economic crisis, voicing anger over price increases, and shortages of food and medicine. Many were also critical of the Cuban government's handling of the Covid pandemic.

We also acknowledge a US position in the Trump administration that took a far harsher tone with Cuba than that of the Obama Administration, which better reflected the views of our global creative community. Trump and Congress imposed severe economic sanctions on Cuba with dire results, as outlined by a Reuters update on Cuba’s economic situation in December 2021.