Move Over Elvis
Posted by
Brooke
Any occasion in Hawaii calls for an Aloha shirt - a collared, short-sleeved shirt, worn un-tucked and usually has bright coloured floral or Polynesian pattern on it. They're equivalent to the long-sleeve with tie on the mainland. When I moved here, I thought aloha shirts were only for the outdated, ultra cheesy Hawaii tourists and Elvis. But I quickly learned that these shirts are the hallmark of special occasions, local pride, history and what it means to celebrate in Hawaii.
Wikipedia says: "Because Hawaii tends to be more casual, it is rarely appropriate to attend such functions in full evening wear like on the mainland; instead, Aloha Attire is seen as the happy medium between excessive formality and casual wear."
Plus, it's just too darn hot to wear a long-sleeved shirt with a tie!
When we first moved to Hilo, one of the shops that caught my design eye was the Sig Zane shop. Every season brought a new design installation in the storefront window. It was treated like artwork and less like a sales window, with story behind the setup. Inside the shop features wood floors, beams and shelving, beautiful displays and a genuine sense of quality and unique Hawaiian design.
I started noticing that any event I attended, every Sunday morning, every birthday party, had at least a handful of men in Sig Zane shirts. Best known for his simple one-colour, original, hand-cut, screenprinted aloha wear, Sig Zane designs have become synonymous with the Aloha shirt. Trust me, there's nothing cheesy about these ones.
Story + Cloth from Sig Zane on Vimeo.
Sig Zane is a resident of Hilo, a native of O'ahu and his story with Sig Zane Designs evolved out of family, friends and a love for the culture and aina (land) of Hawaii. That's the great thing about business in Hawaii - even the most successful and biggest businesses are extremely family oriented and always grow out of a spirit of aloha.
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What others had to say:
Posted by: Kara | December 19, 2012
Posted by: Julian | December 19, 2012