The Hawaiian shirt came into being in the late nineteenth century after island missionaries encouraged the natives to cover their nakedness.
Hawaiians used traditional Polynesian designs and native tapa — or bark cloth — for their shirts. Designs and motifs were hand-painted or stenciled from hand-carved wood cuts.
By the early 1920s, small island tailor shops were making custom print shirts for Hawaiian families for special occasions, such as weddings.
The term “Aloha” shirt was coined in the early 1930s by Chinese shirtmaker Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikiki. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun's Aloha shirt was published on June 28, 1935.
Alfred Shaheen, a textile manufacturer, revolutionized the garment industry in postwar Hawaii by designing, printing and producing aloha shirts and other ready-to-wear items under one roof.
Elvis Presley wore a Shaheen-designed red aloha shirt on the LP cover for the Blue Hawaii soundtrack in 1961.
Source The Hawaiian Shirt: Its Art and History by H Thomas Steele
Hawaiians used traditional Polynesian designs and native tapa — or bark cloth — for their shirts. Designs and motifs were hand-painted or stenciled from hand-carved wood cuts.
By the early 1920s, small island tailor shops were making custom print shirts for Hawaiian families for special occasions, such as weddings.
The term “Aloha” shirt was coined in the early 1930s by Chinese shirtmaker Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikiki. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun's Aloha shirt was published on June 28, 1935.
Alfred Shaheen, a textile manufacturer, revolutionized the garment industry in postwar Hawaii by designing, printing and producing aloha shirts and other ready-to-wear items under one roof.
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| A vintage aloha shirt, circa 1960. |
Elvis Presley wore a Shaheen-designed red aloha shirt on the LP cover for the Blue Hawaii soundtrack in 1961.
Source The Hawaiian Shirt: Its Art and History by H Thomas Steele
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