As a young girl growing up in Japan and the Mainland, I was very proud to have been “made in Hawaii” and that Hawaii was my home. And because we were not able to grow up there due to my father’s job it was most important for our family to preserve the traditions of Hawaii where ever we lived. My mom was a great seamstress and I remember her sewing aloha shirts for my father and brother and making me muu muu (loosely fit dress). And she would make quilts with the remnants of all the aloha print materials she had collected, each patch reminding me of a particular shirt or dress she made for our family. These are heirlooms.

Just having “aloha print” around the house was a comfort. Many of us who call Hawaii their home say “lucky we live Hawaii”. I just love the perfect climate which affects the way we talk, think and live…easy going. Of course normal workdays are hectic but weekends are relaxing. Our lifestyle is also reflected in our attire. Of course many of us choose to wear suits and business clothes for work but aloha attire seems to be just as popular. Most men wear aloha shirts to work. And then there is Aloha Friday when all the ladies get decked out in their favorite muu muu.

Why do we like aloha shirts so much? It’s comfortable. It also makes you feel happy because of the colorful prints. Aloha shirts are truly a reflection of the lifestyle in Hawaii that we all enjoy. 
When you look back on the history of the aloha shirt, it dates back once again to the plantation days. Innovations come out of necessity and it is true about the aloha shirt as well. Plantation workers needed a rugged shirt that was suitable for hard labor in the fields. The checkered blue and white denim “palaka” became the standard work shirt of Hawaii. By the early 1930s the palaka Hawaiian shirts had almost become the official national costume of Hawaii both on and off the plantation. 
History credits Mr. Ellery Chun, owner of a dry goods store in the 1930’s, for making shirts from bright colorful leftover Japanese kimono material so popular. He sold them for 95 cents each. In 1936 Mr. Chun trademarked the name “aloha shirt” and the popularity of these shirts took off.
Local artists began to design their own fabrics depicting the lifestyles and images of Hawaii.  And with the visitor industry boom in the 1950’s Hawaiian print clothing became popular not only with the local people but with folks from the Mainland.
Within a century a modest workman's shirt grew into the trademark wear of Hawaii. We now have everything made from the famous aloha print material. Not only can you find all forms of clothing in this print but also such things as dinnerware, car seat covers, blankets, curtains, slippers and much more. Vintage aloha shirts are also very popular. Collectors are willing to pay a “pretty penny” for these treasures.

I recommend visitors to stop by Fabric Mart on Kalakaua Avenue. There are so many aloha print materials to choose from.  I’m sure even those who cannot sew can at least make a table cloth out of their favorite material. Aloha print material make an affordable gift too.