Best known for its dazzling waterfalls and white sand beaches, Kauai is also home to a little-known but burgeoning fashion industry. It’s true: On the fourth-largest Hawaiian island where board shorts double for everyday wear and footwear is largely optional, a tiny couture scene is blooming. And word is getting out. Kauai’s Kaikini Bikinis, for […]
In the lush Wainiha jungle, where the untamed, volcanic coastline stands unchanged by time, Kauai natives Koral McCarthy and Moku Puulei-Chandler wanted to do something to celebrate local artisans. Located on Kuhio Highway next-door to the no-frills Wainiha General Store, Ohana Shop is at once a fashion boutique and a gallery of unique works by
Last week, while the Merrie Monarch Festival’s competitive hula dancers performed, the festival’s Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair drew crowds into two buildings on Hilo’s Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium grounds. Dozens of invited vendors offered uniquely Hawaiian products—teas and body tinctures of Hawaiian plants, abundant flower and shell lei, even copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, translated
Remember those super rad Town & Country Surf Designs cartoon characters growing up? Artist Steve Nazar was the man behind the retro fantastic creations—gorillas, zombies, tikis and cavemen rocking the waves on neon bright surfboards in Ray-Ban sunglasses—who in the process single-handedly created an aesthetic that screamed 1980s surf culture. Collectively, this gang of characters
If you’re craving local taro chips, or searching for authentic locally made jewelry, but just can’t wait until the next time you’re in Hawaii, fear not. Get your fill of Hawaii-made snacks and accessories with these monthly subscription boxes from the Islands. Here are four Hawaii-based subscription boxes filled with island treats that will put
The coconut got to Hawaii first by ocean currents, and then by humans. It did not take long for Hawaiians to discover that the oil of the coconut held many beauty secrets. Now, its early uses as a skin moisturizer and deep conditioner for your hair are important to Lanikai Bath and Body and its
Throughout the year at HAWAIʻI Magazine, we get to learn about a lot of cool, awesome Hawaii-inspired products and services. These are the ones we think you should know about this gift-giving season, not just for us, but the loved ones in your life who’ve also made The Nice List this year. Slowtide beach towels
Everyone in the galaxy is buzzing—and in some cases, mimicking a star and EXPLODING with excitement—over the upcoming “Star Wars” movie. This includes Hawaii’s very own, er, force of sci-fi buffs who in some cases have taken their enthusiasm to the next level with merchandise with a local spin or can only get in Hawaii.
At the runway show for Manaola Hawaii’s latest Spring/Summer 2016 collection, designer Manaola Yap sent a piece of history down the runway: Hawaii’s first luxury-end shoe collection. The newly-launched women’s heel collection is infused with the same Native Hawaiian storytelling-driven patterns as the rest of his original womenswear and menswear designs. Of the shoe line,
While views of our famous beaches and mountains manage to remain the same over the years, the clothing sure didn’t. HAWAI‘I Magazine takes a look back at the what we wore in the Islands from the 1930s through the 2000s. Scroll through the Islands’ fashionable idiosyncracies and tell us: Which decade was your favorite?
This morning marks the grand opening of Ala Moana Center’s much-anticipated Ewa Wing expansion and to celebrate there’s way more to do than just shop (but believe of us, there’s still a lot of that too). Let’s start with the stores. Ala Moana is boasting an upswing up nearly 100 or so retailers, but not
“Slippahs” if you want to be truly local from your sole to your soul. But NEVER flip-flops. Say “thongs” and watch residents’ eyebrows rise. A plantation old-timer will understand you if you say “geta,” the Japanese word for the footwear Islanders borrowed and made iconic. If it’s got a backstrap, a raised heel or it
