A L O H A !
Those five letters, which encompass a multitude of meanings in the Hawaiian language, also completely embody the positive Hawaiian spirit. We see it all around us, and it’s something that we as a shop and as individuals strive to serve on a daily basis. It’s also something that Michael Paz, founder/designer of North Shore Underground (NSU) and Hawaiianbuilt, embraced on a year-long design exercise aptly titled Project Aloha. Stemming from a desire for something positive after seeing so much negativity online and in life, he set out on a personal challenge to create a new aloha-centric design every day for an entire year. While it sounds like a lot, he strongly believes “you can never have too much aloha.” We completely agree, and it was our love and respect for his project that gravitated us toward this collaboration.
The result is a two-piece collection: the Aloha 24 New Era snapback and Aloha 24 tee. Michael created a brand new design especially for this collection, combining his “Project Aloha” with our motto “Aloha Served Daily,” along with palm tree silhouettes and bright colors, exuding a positive Hawaiʻi vibe. Subtle trilocks are placed within the lime green section and our FITTED crests help complete the design.
On the Aloha 24 snapback, the new design is placed as an embroidered patch, along with a white side crown, tonal New Era logo, white Cheehuu, and white snap enclosure. A crest label is also added to the snap enclosure, and we finished off the piece with one of our favorite designs from his Project Aloha series—a neon sign with “Aloha 24 HRS” displayed inside, which we thought was a perfect blend of both of our philosophies. The Aloha 24 tee features the same patch design displayed large on the back, with subtle paint splatters scattered throughout. The front of the tee features a simplified version of the design in lime green on the front left chest area.
Please check out Michael’s Project Aloha website for more of his products and the Project Aloha Facebook page for all the daily Aloha designs he created.
Photo: Chris Fujimori (@cfujifilms)
Models: Jon-Michael Delima (@jmadelima) & Jordan Hart (@y0rd0)
We are also excited to announce a restock on the Vans Waiʻaleʻale Era Pro that we collaborated with Blue Hawaii Surf on. We normally don’t restock any of our product, but based on the positive response and the fact that we just really love these Eras, we wanted to bring them back for another go-round.
The Vans Waiʻaleʻale Era Pro features a crafted balance of colors and special materials not normally seen on shoes. Starting with the upper, this Era Pro features contrasted white stitching on fully sublimated nylon rip-stop, showcasing our Waiʻaleʻale pattern. The clear eyelets represent the crystal clear waters in Hawaiʻi, tying back to the Waiʻaleʻale concept. The Duracap Vulcanized midsole is all white, with the tonal Vans heel tag adding to the clean look. We hit the entire outsole with a bright orange color to add contrast to the colors up top. Moving to the inside of the shoe, we used a full spacer mesh lining for added comfort and breathability.
For this special restock, we’re doing an online only release on our website, at our usual 11am HST time slot. Blue Hawaii Surf will also be releasing the Waiʻaleʻale Era Pro in-store. Please contact them for their own release information.
We’re not finished yet! We have one more partnership that we’d like to share. We’re teaming up with Uber to send some aloha to all new users by paying for their first ride! (Up to $20, U.S. only.) Just use the New User Promo Code ALOHASERVEDDAILY and you’ll receive the credit. Shout out to Rob and the Uber crew!
