From the moment that the beat of an ancient drum echoes through Kamakahonu Ballroom, it’s clear that the Hawaiʻi Kuauli Wearable Arts Fashion Show is far from your ordinary runway event.
“We open with a cultural performance, grounding the experience in the living traditions that inspire the collections,” says Oriana Keparutis, who originally created the show for her Cultural Business Internship with the Pacific Legacy Institute in 2018. “The lineup elevates new voices while celebrating renowned creatives who are using fashion to preserve their cultures.”
For Kumu Hula Micah Kamohoaliʻi of Dezigns by Kamohoaliʻi, that means perpetuating kapa making, ʻohe kāpala, kākau, and other Hawaiian arts that his family has practiced for generations.
“These traditions provide the visual language and cultural foundation for many of my designs.I often begin by studying traditional motifs, symbolism and design principles. I then reinterpret those using modern textiles, digital design technology, contemporary garment construction and fashion-forward silhouettes, bridging ancestral knowledge with contemporary expression,” says Kumu Micah.
Other designers, like House of Kamamalu’s Kira Kamamalu, lean toward an evolution of traditional fabrics: “I bring in the tradition of palaka, which is an identity fabric for us, while steering toward the punk side.”
For Alepa Collective designers LeiAloha Nakaya and Kuuwai Kahokuloa, connection to cultural roots and commitment to creating with intention is pivotal to this fashion evolution. “This allows tradition and innovation to co-exist,” says LeiAloha, who incorporates Niʻihau shells into every design, reflecting her family’s ties to the island and her husband Kuuwai’s heritage.
Funk N Soul97’s Tia Semi, a model and designer with disabilities, brings resort wear reflecting traditional Polynesian designs all the way from Australia. “Some of my prints are inspired by my Samoan heritage through my father and patterns in his tattoos, which I transform into hand-printed fabrics,” says Tia, who represents both her culture and people living with disabilities by pushing boundaries.
For generations, many aspects of Polynesians’ visual culture and design practices were suppressed, altered or misunderstood. Contemporary fashion creates a space where those narratives can be reclaimed.
“As Hawaiians, we lost confidence because we were told not to be ourselves. But wearing high-quality, crafted clothing makes us feel good about who we are,” says lifestyle brand KUA’s Makua Camarao.
“If someone sees a design and asks, ‘What story is being told here?’ then the garment has begun doing its job. If a wearer dresses in my lightning print pattern because they need mana for a meeting, then it’s serving its purpose,” adds Kumu Micah. “Fashion enables us to celebrateʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) while demonstrating that our culture is not frozen in the past. It is alive, evolving and thriving.”
“Fashion enables us to celebrate ancestral knowledge while demonstrating that our culture is not frozen in the past.” —Kumu Micah,