Video: @jasonjko
Model: @chrisrockemwell
This Saturday marks the next delivery of our newest collection which we introduced on Black Friday. We pulled inspiration from the classic Film Noir genre (a trend of darker and cynical films in the early to mid-1900’s), matched it up with a similar era in Hawaiʻi’s past, then laced it with a bit of irony and humor to stir up a new concoction: the Hawaiʻi Noir Collection.
Let’s set it up for you. It’s 1930’s Chinatown, a time where people still came over from the states by boat—a bunch of affluent out-of-towners looking to escape their mundane lives and encase themselves in paradise. To most, paradise was the allure of bright sun, warm waters, and sandy beaches, but of course there were some that thought of paradise a little differently.
For those people, there was Hell’s Half Acre.
This little parcel of land in Chinatown became notorious for being an adult playground, filled with crime, hookers, drugs, scandal, and downright debauchery—and many wouldn’t have it any other way. It was almost its own self-governed society, with all the different businesses knowing their roles and playing their part. Ordered chaos, if you will.
This unique irony of paradise masking the grimy adult paradise in Chinatown inspired us to create this collection, resulting in a carefully curated assortment of items centered around Hell’s Half Acre, and focuses on tongue-in-cheek designs based on fictional businesses within the area.
We’ve also created a new pattern specifically for this collection called Nectar, which encapsulates the facade of a Hawaiʻi paradise (la ulu palm, monstera, Diamond Head) combined with the gritty underbelly (scantily clad women) to create the perfect depiction of Hell’s Half Acre.
Because the ideas and execution became so robust, it was hard to limit ourselves to just one release day. So we expanded the collection to span across the next several weeks—the only way to do this collection justice. Keep checking back as the weeks progress, all the while thinking about which of these places you’d like to check out. Because we know you would.
Indulge in the debauchery. Immerse yourself in the toughest spot in the Pacific. Welcome to Hell’s Half Acre.
MUA 9FIFTY SNAPBACK
Along with colors that tie back to various designs within the collection, this Mua snapback also features a unique striped white and navy left side panel adjacent to the navy crown, along with peach, blue, and maroon accents.
INTERNATIONAL LONG-SLEEVE TEE – BLACK
Inspired by an old-style movie poster, this new design promotes Hell’s Half Acre with a vengeance. The motto “The Toughest Spot in the Pacific” says it all.
TOUGHEST TEE – MAROON
The Toughest tee is the commemorative item you bring home from any visit to a new place, like you went to Hell’s Half Acre and came back with this awesome tee. It features the Chinese character-inspired logo for the collection on the front, and showcases the street layout of Hell’s Half acre on the back with full branding and mottos.
DELICIOUS, PLEASE SEND MORE TEE – CREAM
This design promotes the fictional neighborhood butcher and chop suey house down in Hell’s Half Acre. Anything you need chopped up, they’ll be happy to accommodate. And they mean anything.
BOOGIE HOUSE TEE – CELADON
Inspired by the entrepreneurship of a real gangster and the original Honolulu Harlot, Jean O’Hara (do a quick Google search), this tee represents the place in Hell’s Half Acre that men would seek out, looking for a good time and a beautiful “lei.”
WTCF TEE – SQUASH
Our standard logo tee was customized for this collection by filling it with our new Nectar pattern.
