Aloha kākou!
For our Spring 2016 collection, rather than look elsewhere for inspiration, we chose to turn our attention to those closest to us—our FITTED ‘ohana. This season, we’re getting up close and personal with our “hui” (Hawaiian for club or company), as we allowed each of our team members to dream up two hats, each utilizing their choice of silhouette (59FIFTY fitted or 9FIFTY snapback), front logo, color-blocking, and materials—resulting in unique pieces that hold special value to the team members that created them. A few of our stockists on the Mainland will release their own store exclusives in the near future as well. Please note that all hats in this collection were produced in limited quantities.
Each piece has a special story behind it, and what better way to hear those stories than from the creators themselves? Every release will be authored by the team member responsible for that design, for an even more personal touch. This Spring season, we hope to share a little more about our hui with you.
Name: Kaimiloa Yoshida
AKA: Imi, Imi Yo, Eemz
Title/Position: Title? #SOTY. Position? Shop-Rat-Turned-Shop-Girl.
Favorite place in Hawaii? Punaluʻu, Kaʻu, Hawaiʻi
One thing you can't live without? Laughter
What are you doing when you aren't working? Homework. Reading. Sleeping. Running the line.
Favorite FITTED hat? Teal Thai Batik Tori Richards X FITTED Hawaii Snapback
What inspires you? The creative energy of others
UA MUA SNAPBACK
By Kaimiloa Yoshida
When we were given the opportunity to design a hat, I knew that I wanted to do something that represented my favorite…but my favorite what? My favorite place? My favorite memory? When I finally decided what I wanted to design a few of the team members joked around, “typical Big Island, Imi.” Typical, because I used the rainy weather as my inspiration for this hat. As true as that is, it’s almost cliche to say this Big Island girl loves the rain.
The rain has always been my favorite weather. I grew up playing in the rain, always hoping that it would pour so that my driveway would flood and my brother and I could go outside and make cinder pies (because Puna doesn’t have dirt). Really bad storms would mean no school and who can complain about that?! I even remember a few years ago, a huge storm was hanging over my subdivision and it got so cold that it started to hail, something that never happens there! Another time, we were visiting my family here on Oʻahu and it poured so my brother, my cousin, my papa and I played in the rain gutter on the street in front of my papa’s house. The ironic thing about loving the rain, though, is that growing up I had the world’s biggest fear of thunder and lightning. I remember my brother and I playing in the rain and as soon as we heard the first crack of thunder we’d be screaming like little girls full sprinting back into the house. Even now, I still get a little jumpy.
Rainy weather back home always meant sweaters, lots of blankets, and the guaranteed phone call from my grandma (R.I.P. Mama) asking if we had our flashlights and extra batteries just in case the electricity went out. My mom would make us saimin from George’s Meat Market on rainy nights because somehow the rain made her too lazy to cook (but again, who can complain?). When I got my drivers permit I was the DD after a family party, and you guessed it, it was pouring! Barely a new driver, driving in the dark while it was pouring, with a passenger who wasn’t any help. Not the most ideal way to get those behind-the-wheel hours. Thankfully we got home in one piece! To me, rain brings about a happy nostalgia, reminding me of great stories that I enjoy sharing.
To materialize all of this into a hat was a welcome challenge. The gradient grayscale Mua is my representation of all forms of rain—whether it’s misty in the morning or coming down like crazy, rain in all its forms is a beautiful thing. Grey is carried over to the top button, while black covers the front two panels and visor. Clean black and white is used on the side New Era logo and back crest. Put together with the white trucker mesh and snap enclosure, it’s a perfect hat to take with you on your rainy day adventures.
Releasing alongside the Ua Mua is our new Greetings design printed on a black tee. The design is based on the idyllic Hawaiian postcard, flipping it on its end. It features a scene from the movie “North Shore” as the postcard photo, with the words “Greetings from the North Shore” written on it. This is a tongue-in-cheek play on the “greeting” Rick receives from the local boys who regulate the breaks up north in the movie. In real life, the pride and respect on the north shore is second to none, and it’s all about earning your keep. The back features a crown seal and “Bumbai you learn,” reminding everyone that both respect and knowledge come in due time.
