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: Daniel Kauwila Mahi
AKA: Uwila, Wilz
Title/Position: Cultural Advisor
Favorite place in Hawaii? Nā Wai ʻEhā/Honolulu
One thing you can't live without? My ʻĀina
What are you doing when you aren't working? School, and prepping to be a dad!
Favorite FITTED hat? All Paiʻea Projects Collaborations/Lauhala Slaps Wind
What inspires you? Kūpuna/Moʻolelo/FITTED
ʻULA SLAPS WIND 59FIFTY
By Kauwila Mahi
In Hawaiʻi, it is hard to evade falling in love with being outdoors. Our lush forests, our deep shimmering oceans, our many waterfalls and rivers, our ability to watch the sun rise from one end of the island and to set on the other…all unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Being enveloped in these places allows for the opportunity to energize ourselves. Knowing the story of these places does the same as well. For many, being in and around nature helps cleanse the mind, body, and soul. All of these things lend to the creative process especially in Hawaiʻi.
One place many people draw inspiration from is our volcanoes in Hawaiʻi. One volcano in particular, the Kīlauea Volcano, always called to me. Kīlauea has gone on to inspire many people—designers, architects, photographers, singers, chanters, ʻōlapa, and many, many more. Kīlauea is a sacred place to many, because it serves as a visual manifestation of birthing the islands. Being able to visualize this as where you come from is unbelievable and it has the ability to change and challenge everything. By viewing and seeing lava, I can literally say I know where I come from, and my potential for growth.
A lot of people have an identity crisis at some point in their lives, where they feel disconnected from their environment. I found that for myself, being an urban native in the hub of urbanization in Hawaiʻi, I sometimes felt disconnected from my environment and from nature. That is until I realized that nature is everywhere, waiting to be discovered. This clash of cultures shaped and molded me to be confrontational culturally to many people.
Although I seldom have the opportunity to head to Kīlauea, I found a symbolic active volcano on Oʻahu, the State Capital Building, which was modeled after the volcanoes throughout Hawaiʻi. For me this place always represented a space for growth, rebirth, and change. The political chambers function like that of a volcano, the intensity of which oppression was met with a sea of red shirts in protests. The aspiration of young and old to be in and around this volcano to overflow change in the middle of this urban hub. The pit in the middle of the volcano is where this sea of red meets, and is open to all the elements. All of these things inspire me, and has inspired others, to seek to build a new life, through change and politics.
The name of this hat is ʻUla Slaps Wind to represent the colors of the volcanoes which inspired me. The metallic red flag and red top button represent the red shimmer of lava as it coasts down mountain sides. The white eyelets and flag outline, along with the yellow undervisor, New Era logo, and back crest all represent the brightly glowing undercurrent of lava as it flows. The black crown represents the hardening of lava as it lays to rest from instilling change, creating the foundation of new ʻāina.
We’ll also be releasing our new All In design printed on a black tee to coincide with the ʻUla 59FIFTY. This new tee features “Fitted” on the front and “All in the Ohana” written large on the back, as a nod to the local comedy classic of the same name starring the great Andy Bumatai. The lettering on the front and back is filled with our 10-year X pattern, and the back also features a FITTED block logo and our 10-year logo.
