Don’t Miss HoMA’s Fashioning Aloha Exhibition
Leaving Sept. 1, this exhibition is a fun and colorful exploration of alohawear’s origins, cultural crossovers and signature motifs.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
On view from April 12 through Sept. 1, the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Fashioning Aloha exhibition takes a considered look at alohawear over the past 90 years and the many influences that informed some of its most recognizable designs.
To create the exhibition, Tory Laitila, curator of textiles and historic arts of Hawai‘i, culled more than 50 garments, including many rare vintage pieces by beloved Hawai‘i brands, from the collection of former University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa textile professor and Washington State University historic fashion curator Linda Arthur Bradley. The aloha shirts, mu‘umu‘u, holokū and holomu‘u were grouped by motifs, which range from Hawaiian quilts and Polynesian bark cloth to Asian dragons, hula and Tahitian pareu, then paired with materials from HoMA’s global collection for historical and cultural context.
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Keep an eye out for fun, interactive elements woven throughout the exhibition. Informative floor decals encourage you to seek out specific graphic elements, such as pōhaku ku‘i ‘ai (food-pounding stones) and pahu drums among the patterns on display. Snag a seat in front of the selfie wall, which features a massive alohawear-laden photo spread from the 1970 issue of HONOLULU Magazine as its backdrop.
Enjoy video footage of locals in eye-catching alohawear dating back to the 1930s and snippets from the recent Rocket Ahuna fashion show. There’s even a mock design studio where you can customize an illustrated garment using stencils of popular alohawear motifs. And you’ll definitely want to exit through the gift shop after this exhibition—along with special Pegge Hopper totes and exclusive re-issues of two of the aloha shirts featured, you can also shop a collection of alohawear pieces from vintage shop Radio Hula.
General admission $25, $15 for kama‘āina, free for members and keiki age 18 and under, Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St., honolulumuseum.org, @honolulumuseum
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In Conversation: Designing for Change with Kūha‘o Zane & Cedric Hudson
Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
Catch a discussion with Kūha‘o Zane, Creative Director of Sig Zane Designs and SZKaiao, and Cedric Hudson, Vice President of Men’s Design at Fabletics and owner of his own brand, Contemporary Athletics, about how they use fashion and design to effect social change and serve as a cultural storytelling platform. This talk is free with the museum’s general admission.
