Past Collections

Collection Aho Hilo Loa

Collection Aho Hilo Loa celebrates the multitude of ways twisted and braided material is used in Hawaiʻi: as lei; as cordage for regalia, tools, and fishing nets and lines; as lashing for hale (houses), waʻa (canoes), pahu hula (drums used in hula), kōkō (carrying nets to hold/hang calabashes), and much more. Some of these fundamental patterns can be found throughout the collection’s motifs and silhouettes.

This collection brings to mind “Kuʻu aho hilo loa,” which is one in a set of nane, or riddles, used to teach the moku (districts) of the island of Hawaiʻi. Mary Kawena Pukui translates this nane as “my long, twisted fishing line,” where “hilo,” meaning to twist or braid, is used as a pun to refer to the district of Hilo. As such, the collection's name, Aho Hilo Loa, inspired by the craft of Hawaiian riddling, not only magnifies various aho, or braided cords, but is also a nod to Hilo as the home of the Merrie Monarch Festival where this collection will be released. The watermark designs in the background depict geographical features that honor Hilo’s fertile soil, unique sands, charming coastlines, and rejuvenating waters. ʻAʻohe lua e like ai me ka nani aʻo Hilo! None other can compare to the beauty of Hilo!

Collection Pūlama

Pūlama, meaning to cherish, also refers to a light or torch. More commonly referred to as lama or lamakū, torches were traditionally made of a series of kukui nut kernels strung onto nīʻau (coconut midrib) and burned one by one starting with the topmost nut. Larger torches were also crafted to illuminate the paths of travelers and of those who fished at night.

Kukui and lamakū are prominent symbols of knowledge and enlightenment. Our beloved Queen Liliʻuokalani was even referred to as “ka lamaku o ka noeau” (a torch of wisdom) in a name chant printed in an 1896 issue of Hawaiian language newspaper Ke Aloha Aina, exalting her as the wise aliʻi she was. 

Thus, Collection Pūlama is intended to remind us of the kuleana we have to cherish, preserve, and transmit knowledge. The collection features a powerful pattern that resembles the brilliant glow that emanates from a row of kukui prepared and assembled into a torch. May this design reaffirm that like each of those kukui nuts, we too are one in a continuous line of intelligence, learning from the past while serving as a beacon for the future.

Like lei that grace loved ones, the seas embrace our pae ʻāina. The channels that encircle our mokupuni are precious pathways, linking the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago to one another. They serve as conduits for navigation and transportation, transcending time and space while connecting one generation to the next. Ancestral knowledge about our beloved waterways is embedded within mele and moʻolelo, which continue to inform how we maintain our ocean and other natural resources today. Collection Lei Nā Moku depicts a lighthearted pattern that embodies natural formations our tides assume. The endless lines adorn the body like a wreath, signifying the eight seas – nā kai ʻewalu – that bind our islands: 

• ʻAlenuihāhā (Hawaiʻi and Maui)
• ʻAlalākeiki (Kahoʻolawe and Maui)
• Kealaikahiki (Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe)
• ʻAuʻau (Maui and Lānaʻi)
• Pailolo (Maui and Molokaʻi)
• Kaiwi (Molokaʻi and Oʻahu)
• Kaʻieʻiewaho (Oʻahu and Kauaʻi)
• Kaulakahi (Kauaʻi and Niʻihau)

(A ninth sea that is less frequently mentioned is Kalohi, the channel between Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.)Through Lei Nā Moku, we celebrate the invigorating kai that uplifts those who expertly traverse them, stringing together land and people like treasured lei.

Collection Honuaola celebrates fundamental shapes and organic formations found in our natural environment—from heaven to earth, from the uplands to the sea, from the rising sun to the setting sun and all that are encompassed in between. These familiar lines, patterns, and textures bind us to the lands that have continuously nurtured kānaka from one generation to the next. The featured hues, motifs, and silhouettes remind us of our relationship with the elements and the responsibility we have to ensure our precious resources flourish in perpetuity. May Collection Honuaola help to keep us grounded, grateful, and growing. E ola ē!

He lau ʻaʻahu hou ʻo Honuaola e hoʻohanohano ana i ka nani o nā kinona o ke ao kūlohelohe a kākou e noho nei–mai ka lā hiki a i ka lā kau, mai ka lani a i ka honua, mai uka a i kai. Ma loko o nei lauana e ʻike ʻia ai nā hiʻohiʻona o ka ʻāina nāna i hānai a mālama mai iā kākou mai kekahi hanauna a i kekahi: ʻo nā ao ʻoe, ʻo nā kuahiwi ʻoe, ʻo nā mea ulu ʻoe, a pēlā aku. A, ma o nā waihoʻoluʻu, nā lau, a me nā kaila o nei pukana e hoʻomanaʻo aʻe ai i kēia pilina ʻāina a me ke kuleana koʻikoʻi o kākou, ʻo ia hoʻi, ʻo ka pūlama i nā kumuwaiwai makamae o Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina aloha, e ola mau loa ai ia mau mea no nā hanauna o ke au e hiki mai ana. E ola ē!