Mia Dio will bring a tribute to the Ladies in White to Miss Universe

On Friday, November 6, Mia Dio unveiled the ensemble she will wear in the national costume presentation at Miss Universe 2026. Titled “The Lady of Freedom,” it is dedicated to the Ladies in White. The Cuban representative shared a video of the creation on Instagram and emphasized the importance of passing the story to other generations; the recording approached 9,000 reactions within hours. The design combines references to the movement with religious and national elements.

Panamanian designer Royer Pérez made the piece, while Guillermo Leal, known as Memo, handled styling and creative direction. Before arriving at this concept, the team set aside another idea to focus on historical memory, human rights and freedom. On a white base, it placed gold baroque-style embroidery accompanied by 75 portraits and the same number of crystal tears. Dio connected the images with those imprisoned during the Black Spring of 2003 and with their families' suffering.

White gladioli evoke the activists' peaceful marches, while four Cuban trogons express the desire for freedom. The back depicts Saint Rita of Cascia Church in Havana's Miramar neighborhood, where the women gathered before marching on Sundays. A heart-shaped motif reproduces the Cuban flag. The piece also includes a rosary and letters commemorating founder Laura Pollán. The embroidered phrase “We All March” adds a message of solidarity.

Explaining the tribute, Dio said bringing the faces to the stage would allow their stories to become known. She also recalled the families who waited and the women who kept that memory alive. Her connection with the movement predates her beauty title: months before winning it, she posed in white clothing with gladioli. During her coronation, she formed an “L” with her fingers to represent liberty, another gesture tied to the message she now carries in the costume.

The Ladies in White began their activities in March 2003. Wives, mothers and daughters used Sunday marches, white clothing and gladioli to demand freedom for their relatives. The European Parliament recognized the movement in 2005 with its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Members received the award in Brussels in April 2013. The candidate's costume recalls that history.

Dio is 25 and was born in Miami; her mother is Cuban and her father is Argentine. She won the Cuban crown on August 20 in Cutler Bay, Florida, among 19 contestants, representing the Isle of Youth. Her next appearance will be the national costume show on November 21 at Puerto Rico's José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. The final will take place November 24 in San Juan, where she will compete for the Miss Universe 2026 title wearing the unveiled costume.