The Endless long-sleeve tee will be an in-store exclusive.
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: Ryan Auyoung
AKA: Ryagra
Title/Position: @fitted | Hat Selfies | Handsomest Dude on the Register
Favorite place in Hawaii? 96822 | 96763
One thing you can't live without? Air/Water | Family/Friends (a close second)
What are you doing when you aren't working? Breaking Belts & Pant Buttons | Living Out of Suitcases | Land Roving | Yelling Politely at 1438 Kona Street
Favorite FITTED hat? Pantanama Snapback | Hunters Mahalo Snapback
What inspires you? Originality | Creativity | Positivity | Aloha Served
PAUAHI PRIDE SNAPBACK
By Ryan Auyoung
Dedicated to our friend, classmate and brother Aaron Uchimura (1978-2006) Rest in Paradise…
If you’re not a fan of Punahou, kindly skip to the last line.
I grew up attending the same school from kindergarten to graduation. 13 years. Although that might seem sheltered to a lot of people, it allowed me to build lifelong relationships. Many of the friends that I have now were the same friends that I had in kindergarten. Our gang consists of roughly 23 guys and 12 girls. They all have different personalities, and bring something to the table, making me the person I am today. As we all entered high school, we happened to congregate at a building called Pauahi Hall and this would be our home for the next four years. It was not too long after, our group of friends was dubbed "Pauahi (Boys/Girls)" by upperclassmen, lowerclassmen and our classmates. I was not the best student—having fun was my priority. I remember my 5th grade teacher telling my parents "you're wasting your money sending Ryan here" and I'm sure other teachers throughout the years felt the same way. I was pissed, even though deep inside, I knew he was right. Partying, girls, hanging out with my friends and sports took priority over grades. I was ok with just doing the minimum which didn’t make my parents very happy. My friends were fun, I couldn't help it! I don't drink (still to this day) but for some reason I got into a lot of trouble being a typical punk-ass kid. I was not the model citizen you see before you today, haha. Since I was always the sober friend (and designated driver), I always carried a camera with me to document the night. My friends started calling me "histoRY-N" (historian) since I was the only one who could recall what happened the night before, and had the pictures to prove it. Needless to say, most of my friends can’t run for public office, unless they pay me handsomely.
We somehow all graduated and went our separate ways to college. Although we're all grown up—most of us married with keiki, some of us fatter or skinnier—we find the time to get together to reminisce about the "good old days." We may not see each other as often but when we reconnect, we pick up where we left off without skipping a beat. We've traveled around the world together, played sports, broke bread, got into trouble, partied, laughed, cried and matured together. This hat signifies those influential relationships I've made in high school. For others it might be your neighbor, grade school friends, college friends, coworkers or fellow hat collectors. These are the people who turn from friends to family, who you can rely on at any time for help, advice, drinks and laughs. Sometime in your life, you've made that connection with someone and this is what my hat represents to me.
Pauahi Hall is noted for its blue and yellow dome at the top which I used as the main color way for this hat. It consists of a royal blue crown surrounding a white H Pride and yellow eyelets. It also has a white button, white New Era logo, yellow crest, royal blue top brim with yellow stitching and a solid yellow underbill. Whenever I see these specific colors, it takes me back to some of the best times of my life. It reminds me of all of the people I’ve met throughout my thirteen years there and my struggle to get that degree. When people ask me where I graduated from and I hesitantly give my answer, you can usually see the stereotypes going through that person’s mind. I think every Punahou student/alumnus has experienced it, which is usually followed with a sigh or a smart comment. I get it, and truthfully I would probably feel the same way had I not gone there myself. I might not dress or act like a typical Punahou graduate but it is what made me who I am today. Low key proud but never show it, which is why I chose a PRIDE.
Mahalo to my parents who worked so hard to provide the best life possible for me, my brother and my sister. It took me a couple of years after we graduated to really appreciate all that I had. I realized how irresponsible and ungrateful I was and how I almost messed up a great opportunity (multiple times). Shout out to the Pauahi ʻOhana for all the great times over the past decades and to all the amazing people I’ve met along the way.
Just tell yourself that this is a great hat to represent the Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Chargers, Kaiser Cougars or Waipahu Marauders and feel free to name it whatever you like hahaha.
Accompanying the Pauahi Pride snapback on Saturday is a brand new design featured on a black short-sleeve tee and a black long-sleeve tee, aptly titled Endless. It features an aliʻi illustration on the back, surrounded by our Nihi logo, the words FITTED HAWAII, and a saying in both English and Hawaiian: “Endless is the good that I have given you to enjoy.” The design is also featured as a small left chest print on the front. Please note that the long-sleeve tee will only be available in-store.
