Anita with Swing and The Caribbean Swing: from Cuban YouTuber in Tampa to unique jewelry with resin flowers

Anabel Vigo started at the age of 16 uploading sketches to YouTube from WiFi parks in Havana, when an hour of internet cost several dollars and Cuba did not appear on the list of countries that could monetize. A decade later, millions of people know her as Anita con Swing, she lives in Tampa, Florida, and has just turned her childhood obsession—flowers—into The Caribbean Swing: an artisanal jewelry and decoration brand where each piece is unique, made with real flowers encapsulated in resin, pearls and semi-precious stones. It is one of the clearest cases of the Cuban diaspora that crosses digital influence, cultural memory and physical entrepreneurship in 2026.

Who is Anita with Swing

Anabel Vigo was born in Santiago de Cuba in 2001, spent most of her childhood in Holguín and moved to Havana at the age of nine, according to reports from Tampa Beacon and Centro Tampa Bay. On social media she uses the alias Anita con Swing —she also appears as Anabell Vigo on her Facebook profile— and has presented herself as a YouTuber since she was 16, inspired by the "weekly package" of foreign content and by creators like Luisito Comunica.

His first video was a sketch about Christmas in Cuba; The connection was so bad that, she tells Tampa Beacon, she had to send the file to a friend in the United States to upload it. Over time she became one of the first Cuban influencers with a mass audience: DimeCuba places her among the most popular Cuban YouTubers, with documentaries about daily life on the island, travel and humor. In May 2024, the Tampa Beacon cited her as having more than 196,000 subscribers on YouTube; Her channel ANITA CON SWING OFFICIAL remains active with vlogs in Tampa, personal reflections and cultural pieces.

The path was not linear: Cuba did not allow YouTube to be monetized, so he had to close his first channel with 15,000 subscribers and start from scratch, reports Tampa Beacon. Later he lived in Spain (Madrid and Gran Canaria, according to his own website) before trying his luck in the United States. In Cuba in Miami he documented the obtaining of his permanent residence and the launch of his artisanal enterprise with elements of nature—the germ of The Caribbean Swing.

From Havana to Tampa: why Florida

In January 2024 Anita with Swing settled in Tampa, a city that she describes as "home sweet home": sea, humid heat and a large Cuban diaspora that reminds her of the island "with the opportunities that I always dreamed of," in her words quoted by Centro Tampa Bay. Walk around the bay, explore Ybor City and turn every corner into material for YouTube and Instagram.

He is not the only Cuban in Tampa who builds a personal brand – the Miami–Tampa ecosystem concentrates creators, stores and shipments – but his turn towards physical art distinguishes him from those who only monetize ads or generic merchandising. While recording stories of music and culture, he simultaneously designs objects that people can wear or give as gifts.

What is The Caribbean Swing

The Caribbean Swing is, according to its official site, "an art brand inspired by the essence of the Caribbean": botanical jewelry, decorative objects and pieces "loaded with soul" that fuse nature, memory and emotion. Everything is designed and handmade by Anita with Swing, with shipping from the United States and regular international payments from Shopify (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, Shop Pay, etc.).

The proposal is not an infinite catalog jewelry store: the pieces are sold in limited collections. When there is no active drop, the store remains closed. Followers should keep an eye on @thecaribbeanswing and @anitaconswing for launch day; Each item is unique and sells out quickly—a very common model in artisanal brands that live off of scarcity and community.

The technique: flowers encapsulated in resin

The heart of the workshop is the encapsulation of flowers in resin (resin flower jewelry or preserved flower resin): a very popular technique in handmade jewelry that "immortalizes" real petals - dried or pressed - within a layer of transparent resin, usually epoxy or fast-curing UV resin. The result is earrings, pendants, keychains, rings or decorative pieces where each vein of the petal is seen as if under glass.

At The Caribbean Swing the process, described on the website, includes:

• Careful selection and drying of natural flowers (also orchids and botanical elements from the Caribbean).
• Prior sealing to stabilize the color and structure.
• Cast into molds with high quality resin, often in layers to avoid bubbles.
• Polished finish and mounting in hypoallergenic metals, sometimes combined with pearls or semi-precious stones.

The brand itself warns that flowers are organic matter: with humidity, heat or direct sun the pigments can oxidize slightly over the years — "they age like any preserved flower," explains its care guide. It is recommended to store the pieces in cool places, use silica in the jewelry box, do not wet them and clean them with a dry cloth.

Communicator: YouTube, TikTok and Cuban culture

Parallel to the workshop, Anita with Swing continues to be a first-class communicator. Her style mixes intimate vlogs, chronicles of the diaspora and popular pieces: in October 2023 she uploaded a video to the channel about Celia Cruz visiting her grave and reconstructing the "raw and real story" of the Queen of Salsa; In 2024 he documented his time in Coachella and his move to Florida. On TikTok (@thecaribbeanswing) and Facebook promote both content and jewelry drops.

This double identity—entertainment creator + artisan—fits with the trend of influencers diversifying income beyond AdSense or sponsorships. Where many sell generic t-shirts, she sells something only she can make: Caribbean flowers trapped in resin, with a personal narrative that links Cuba, Spain and Tampa.

How to buy and what to expect

According to the official website, the flow is simple but requires patience:

1. Follow the launches on Instagram @thecaribbeanswing and @anitaconswing.
2. Enter thecaribbeanswing.com on the day of the drop —each piece is unique and stock is limited.
3. Complete shipping and payment (the store operates in dollars and accepts international methods according to Shopify).
4. Receive confirmation and tracking number by email.

Outside of the collection season the store may appear empty or closed: it is not a fault, it is part of the model. For custom pieces or questions, the official networks are the brand's usual channel.

In summary

Anita con Swing —Anabel Vigo off camera—represents a generation of Cubans who learned to tell stories with the precarious internet and today turns that audience into a tangible business in Florida. The Caribbean Swing brings to the market jewelry made of flowers encapsulated in resin, pearls and stones with Caribbean aesthetics, sold in limited collections from thecaribbeanswing.com. If you are interested in the intersection between Cuban culture, creative entrepreneurship and contemporary crafts, its journey—from Havana's WiFi to the Tampa workshop—is a good compass to understand how the diaspora builds brands with its own roots and swing.