CNST 213 Hawaiian Influences on Western Apparel

Hawaiian Influences on western apparel

Hawaiian Shirts
At the same time Western missionaries were changing Hawaiian women's dress, the men's dress was changing as well. The palaka, a solid color work shirt adopted by early Hawaiian plantation workers, was the forerunner of the aloha shirt. These early shirts were soon decorated with the traditional Hawaiian design motifs - formerly used on their tapa cloth wraps. Designs on tapa cloth were in geometric designs in brilliant colors from natural dye sources and were hand painted or stenciled on the cloth (Steele, 1984).
In the late 1920s, tourism came to the islands with the opening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach. Shirts became popular as 'exotic' souvenirs. The term "Aloha shirt" was coined to describe these shirts by a local Hawaiian shirt maker in 1936. By the mid-30s production of these shirts was a thriving industry. World War II halted this production somewhat; however, after the war the business boomed. This was due to the increased attention Hawaii received because of Pearl Harbor, the many servicemen visiting the military installations there, and from the film industry. Movies filmed in Hawaii included From Here to Eternity (1954) and Blue Hawaii (1963), among others (Steele, 1984).

This is a Traditional Hawaiian Shirt with authentic coconut buttons. It has a matched patch pocket which does not break the print, showing its high quality construction. 55% Cotton/45% Rayon. Made in Hawaii.

References
Steele, H. T. (1984). The Hawaiian Shirt - Its Art and History. New York: Abbeville Press.

table of contents / next topic / previous topic / syllabus

Comments or Questions about the course?
Email Dr. Orzada

Last revised: October 2, 1998.