We continue our exploration of “Perception” in Hawaii with our Summer 2014 Delivery 2 Collection. Working off the three patterns we introduced in Delivery 1, we transition into darker imagery through the use of bolder, deeper colors.
Like our Delivery 1 Collection, our Delivery 2 Collection takes it back to the early to mid-1900’s, from the annexation of Hawaii to our admittance into statehood and beyond. The overall theme is “Perception,” and with that we focus on the tourism boom in Hawaii and the perception of outsiders looking in vs. the insiders looking out. The hula shows, tiki bars, wahine in grass skirts, and everything in between — there was a grand perception of Hawaii that wasn’t necessarily matched from the inside.
The entire Summer collection (Delivery 1 and 2) revolves around three patterns: Maiʻa, Vanquish, and Kala Pepa, with all three relating to either an outside perception or inside perception of Hawaii during this time period.
MAIʻA
A bold floral pattern that embodies the look of the classic aloha shirts found at Dukeʻs Lane, the popular open market spot where tourists would go to find loud and cheap aloha shirts. It acts as a representation of the outside perception of Hawaii in the mid 1900’s, being a bright and colorful tourist attraction.
VANQUISH
This pattern is an amalgamation of Hawaiʻi’s lost native birds. All the extinct birds seen on this pattern have been vanquished due to invasive plants and animals after foreign assimilation. Beautiful birds like the ʻiʻo, ʻiʻiwi, ʻelepaio, palila, and ʻakohekohe, just to name a few, all suffered this fate. From an inside perspective, Hawaiians see the ruins of a once thriving ecosystem.
KĀLĀ PEPA
A collage of early Hawaiian bank notes that used to be in circulation. “Kālā pepa” refers to the brief history of the Hawaiian currency and how it represents not only the transition from the barter system but how a rich and prolific culture succumbed to the imperialistic mentality that dominated the times. In Delivery 2, we focus on darker “blood money” imagery for this concept.
