Aloha kākou!
It’s been a few years since we’ve used woven material on our hats, and after dropping several hints online we’re pleased to announce its return this Saturday. Hala, which woven lauhala (lau means leaf in Hawaiian) is derived from, comes in several varieties based on fruit color. They were valuable to the ancient Hawaiians for their wide range of uses, aside from the woven lauhala that’s commonly used. Two of the hala varieties—hala ʻula and hala pia—provided the basis of this Saturday’s release.
The hala ʻula variety bears reddish fruit and was very prized among the different hala types. The people of Kohala, Big Island also have a special moʻolelo on the term hala ʻula as it pertains to King Kamehameha. Their secondary translation for hala ʻula is "a grievous fault that might spill our blood” from the alternate meaning of hala (what we say when someone does something bad) and the word ʻula (red). The Kohala people entered a conspiracy to save Kamehameha from harm, and if Alapainui (king of Big Island at the time) ever found out, he would’ve surely killed them. So the term hala ʻula became a reminder to the Kohala people of the risks they took to help Kamehameha. The reddish color of the hala ʻula fruit is what inspired the red denim visor on our new Hala ʻUla Aloha, with a nod to the Kohala moʻolelo and the risk of bloodshed they almost encountered. The entire crown is woven black, with tonal embroidery all around and a black snap enclosure around back. The inside liner and undervisor are printed with a collage of hala plants on satin.
In contrast, the hala pia variety bears a fruit that is off-white or pale yellow in color, and was also incredibly important in Hawaiian culture, but in a special way. In addition to all the common uses that hala pia shares with the rest of the hala varieties (hala ʻīkoi, hala lihilihi ʻula, and hala melemele), the hala pia plant has been singled out as having unique medicinal qualities including the ability to ward off evil spirits. Inspired by the hala pia, we created the Hala Pia Aloha snapback. The entire crown is woven in an off-white/pale yellow color, based off the color of the plant’s fruit. White embroidery is seen all around, along with a white snap enclosure. A dark blue denim visor provides a nice contrast to the rest of the hat. On the underside of the hat, we laid out the same collage of hala plants on the satin inside liner and undervisor, as an homage to where woven lauhala started.
Along with the two Aloha snapbacks, we are also releasing two matching tees. The Hala ʻUla Aloha tee features a small white Aloha logo printed backwards on the right chest and a large red woven tri-lock print on the lower half of the shirt. It also features a white crown on the upper back. The Hala Pia Aloha tee features a dark blue Aloha logo printed on the left chest with an off-white/yellowish woven tri-lock print on the lower half. A dark blue crown is seen on the upper back. When both shirts are put side by side, the woven prints connect and a large woven tri-lock appears.
The Hala ʻUla and Hala Pia Aloha snapbacks and tees will have a unique release this Saturday, so please take heed to the information below:
The black Hala ʻUla Aloha snapback and matching black tee will be available exclusively at our brick and mortar location, 1438 Kona St., this Saturday at 11 a.m. (HST). Phone orders will accepted after the line has been taken care of. The hat and tee will not be available online.
The off-white/pale yellow Hala Pia Aloha snapback will be available at our online shop at 11 a.m. (HST) and at these select stockists: Cukui, District Footwear, HNRS LV, Instant Klasick, NMLS, and Pros N Cons LA (please contact the individual stores for their release time). The white Hala Pia Aloha tee will be only be available at our online shop (same time), HNRS LV, and Pros N Cons LA. Neither will be available at our physical store.
