Photo: @jasonjko
Model: @chrisrockemwell
Aloha kākou!
We continue the narrative of our Observation Collection with the next delivery this Saturday, exclusively in-store and online.
For the inspiration behind this collection, we look to our Hawaiian ancestors, who sparked innovation and change by being makaʻala (aware) and observing all things around them, then transforming that observation into constructive solutions.
The Ahupuaʻa system, for instance, was a brilliant solution to the growing population and the need to sustain the community. They observed the land and organized the communities in a way that followed the slope of the land and resources were perfectly utilized. Everyone within their ahupuaʻa had a duty to fulfill, became masters of their skillset, and always practiced aloha and laulima (cooperation).
A more detailed example is undoubtedly the brilliant wayfinding navigational skills that brought our ancestors to Hawaiʻi and throughout Polynesia. The original voyagers observed birds that migrated away for long periods of time and came back every year, concluding there must be more land out there. Watching other species of birds helped them understand when land was near or which trees were perfect for carving into canoes. They studied the waʻa kaukahi (single-hull canoes) and learned that making a unique modification would help withstand a longer journey, resulting in waʻa kaulua (double-hull canoes). And most importantly, they observed the stars, ocean tides, and the earth’s rotation, giving them a measure of time, seasons, and direction.
Throughout the Observation Collection, three brand new patterns are utilized, each stemming from natural elements that provide daily life, as well as the tools our ancestors used through applied observation:
ELEMENT EARTH FIRE / EEF: Flowing strokes of warm colors mimic fire bellowing in the air, and the movement of the earth underneath.
ELEMENT WATER SKY / EWS: The cool wavy colors are inspired by the ocean’s currents and the movement of clouds through the sky.
ELEMENT PLANTS TREES / EPT: Shades of green intersect and cut through each other like wind-rustled leaves and tree canopies swaying in the wind.
We’re also showcasing brand-new and updated cut and sew pieces for this collection—utilizing premium materials in our own custom-tailored—with special attention paid to the technical construction, placing them within the highly stringent standards of our TropTech line.
ALOHA 59FIFTY
Our latest Aloha design is stitched on 100% polyester poplin, dipped in our new EWS (Element Water Sky) pattern and sporting brass eyelets. The front stitching is white, while both side embroideries are navy blue, and the back crest is stitched in navy and white.
BASIN PREMIUM TEE – OLIVE
Our premium Basin tee arrives in olive, utilizing the same premium construction as past seasons, but with a few slight enhancements. Still built under our TropTech label due to its technical activewear properties, this silhouette also retains its signature large trilock gusset on the back and small trilock gussets on the sides, this time in the same color as the body, as well as the ASD tag stitched into the yoke and contrast-stitched trilock label on the back collar. New this time around is a Tyvek care label on the inside bottom left of the wearer’s front, and a straight bottom hem all the way around.
TECHNIQUES TEE – HEATHER GREY
The Techniques design was inspired by the expert wayfarers of our past, who observed the night sky and figured out how to make the stars work for them, guiding them along their journey across the Pacific.
