Photo: @jasonjko
Model: @salvacio90
Aloha kākou!
Summer is almost here—the brighter sun, warm nights, and longer days. Known as “kau wela” in Hawaiian, summer is a time we all remember fondly growing up. The season when we’re off from school and the fun never ends. The season that provides the perfect weather for any outdoor activity. Growing up, we never wanted summer to end, and we played off this feeling for our new Summer 2016 Aholoa Collection. Aholoa translates to “long breath” in Hawaiian, and to us, we think about the summer sun, and our hopes that the sun holds its breath so that we can keep enjoying its ever-giving life.
In the past we’ve celebrated the beach life of our youth, so this summer we wanted to take it to the roads and the street car culture we admired growing up. Old school Datsuns, VWs, and lifted Toyotas, all ready to bomb it down Tantilus, shoot a run to Ka‘ena, or just cruise in a random secret parking lot with 50 other people — either way it’s always a party. This era brings back great summer memories, and we wanted to capture that moment in time for our Aholoa Collection.
SU16 PATTERNS
For this summer season, we’re introducing two brand new patterns, with one being inspired by the old school car culture, and one being an amalgamation of two of our original patterns.
The new Finish Line pattern is our version of a checkered flag, with niho niuhi (shark teeth simplified as tri-lock shapes) making up the contrasting black squares. The triangle has been a staple for our company since its inception due to its importance in Hawaiian culture, and we enjoy incorporating it into various designs.
Our second all-new pattern is called DPICT, short for Disruptive Pattern Island Camouflage Triangle. It’s a smooth melding of our two proprietary camouflage patterns: Island Camo and Tri-Camo. The Island Camo pattern featured all eight Hawaiian islands in various sizes and colors evenly spaced, in a style loosely based on duck camouflage. The Tri-Camo was our take on the standard digi-camo pattern, but using our tri-lock niho niuhi shapes instead. This new DPICT pattern is our version of woodland camouflage utilizing both of our patterns, with highly abstracted and stylized island shapes in the foreground, and subtle Tri-Camo underneath to give it dimension.
CUT & SEW
This collection also marks a very special milestone for us. Although we’ve slowly released new cut and sew silhouettes in the past, this season we are opening the doors on our first full collection of timeless cut and sew silhouettes, which we have spent countless hours researching and developing to our exact specifications. These silhouettes will form the foundation of our entire cut and sew program, ushering in a new level of design technique as we continue to strive for the best quality product for our customers.
We’re incredibly blessed to be able to show our passion through our craft, from the storytelling to design and production, and being able to transfer that onto new medium where we’re now able to tell stories through the product construction itself rather than what’s printed on it opens the doors to a whole new set of possibilities. All of our cut and sew silhouettes were crafted to ensure versatility in all climates and environments, and to help showcase this we took inspiration from the mountain terrain when naming each silhouette. They were built to live as timeless sportswear pieces, using high-quality material selections with intricate subtle details and constructed to the highest standards.
Take a ride with us as we breathe in the beautiful summer air and introduce the first release of our 2016 Summer Aholoa Collection.
DPICT Camo H Pride Snapback
Featuring our new DPICT Camo covering the entire crown with a black visor and red undervisor, all utilizing Poly Pique fabric, a brand new material for our hats containing great quick drying capabilities. The H Pride and New Era logos are stitched in white, while the eyelets are stitched in red and the back crest is stitched in black and white. The white snap enclosure features our new Hawaiian flag label with Aloha Served Daily on the reverse side. Unique to this season, the wearer’s right side features a classic car-inspired ʻio (Hawaiian hawk) emblem with our ASD motto below it. Our new Finish Line pattern makes its debut on the inner lining.
Keiki H Pride Snapback
A new snapback for the Keikis featuring a split colored crown, with black on the front two panels and visor, and red on the back four panels. It also features a white front logo, black New Era logo and eyelets, black and white back crest, and a black button on top. The undervisor is classic green while the back snap enclosure is white.
Basin Premium Tee – Black
The first of this season’s cut and sew offerings, the Basin tee represents our staple premium tee, built with superior sweat-absorbent, quick-drying material that’s soft to the touch. The most unique detail of this tee is the large triangle gusset on the back, featuring our new DPICT camo pattern. A triangular morale label is sewn into the yoke to the left of the gusset top point, and it includes a yellow all-purpose detachable toggle cord. A small FITTED logo printed in the center. Small red triangle gussets are sewn into the bottom side seam, creating a unique signature look. Another triangular piece of red fabric is sewn into the inner back collar, with a branded spec label seamlessly molded into it. A sizing/care label is sewn on the inside, near the wearer’s lower side. The Basin tee also features a straight front hem with a slightly scooped back hem.
Qualifier Tee – Black or White
This classic car-inspired tee features a stylized ʻio (Hawaiian hawk) large on the back above our ASD motto and our new Finish Line checker pattern underneath. The ASD motto is also seen small on the wearer’s left chest.
