And for the whole world, the Hawaiian shirt became one of the attributes of a lifestyle; only a person who stands firmly on their own two feet can afford it. It is also an international signal by which "idlers" from all countries recognize and greet each other. And indeed, can one appear in the office in a colorful shirt with palm trees and coconuts coquettishly adorning it? But if you are out of the office, feel free to wear a Hawaiian shirt. You won't believe it, but your mood will improve, your soul will feel lighter, and your dreams will come true. And how could it be otherwise, if in your head you hear lively music and your imagination paints fanciful exotic landscapes.
In just 25 years, the Hawaiian shirt will celebrate its hundredth anniversary. There are many legends about its origin, and a whole series of versions of its emergence replace each other. Let's try to untangle this web.
The first Hawaiian shirt appeared on the island of Oahu back in 1932. The natives, as well as modern residents of Hawaii, called it aloha, which means "greeting" in the local dialect.
In 1936, in Honolulu, the haberdashery merchant Ellery Chan registered the trademark "Aloha Shirt." Chan graduated from the economics department of Yale University in 1931, earned a degree, and decided to revive his father's declining business, originally aimed at the Chinese community. The young specialist understood that during the Great Depression, it would be good to expand sales markets and, accordingly, the product range. Together with his sister Ethel Chan, from the remnants of kimonos, they created the first bright floral short-sleeved shirt.
As Chan later recalled, the idea to create such a shirt came to him when he was looking at paintings of 19th-century sugarcane plantations, which depicted workers wearing checkered shirts - palakas. The palaka was a short-sleeved cotton shirt, resembling a chessboard due to its clear geometric pattern. The palaka was widely used by plantation workers, literally wearing it out until it had holes. In addition, the palaka - a work shirt - was extremely uncomfortable, made of stiff, unpleasant material, since cotton processing was not yet so advanced at that time. However, before that, men and women (the climate allowed it) wore loincloths and skirts made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree, so people didn't think about the poor quality of the palaka and probably didn't even suspect it.
In the early 1930s, clothing manufacturers in Hawaii decided to create a design that would be unique, original, and belong only to the islanders. The commission was given to the artist Else Das, and as a result, fifteen floral projects were born. They were immediately sent to Japan and printed on silk. Once, by mistake, the designs were applied to satin and caused a sensation not only in Hawaiian fashion but also in Hollywood. Ginger Rogers, the eternal partner of Fred Astaire, a movie diva, and a famous dancer, was the first to see the fabric with the bright patterns and immediately ordered herself a seductive dress. The effect was amazing: an Hawaiian epidemic swept America. Patterns with palm trees, hibiscus, and ginger appeared everywhere - from neck scarves to dinner napkins.
Unsurprisingly, the bright, festive Hawaiian shirts that make people turn around on the streets at their happy owners were originally intended for sports, surfing, and the beach. Surfing - the pursuit that attracted tourists to Hawaii - left its imprint on fabric and on shirts. Even now, on clothing, you can see a surfer frozen above a wave, battling the ocean elements.
So what about Chan? The enterprising businessman realized that the aloha could forever remain one of the attractions of Hawaii. But for that, he needed to use advertising. He put the shirt in his shop window and labeled the product: Aloha shirt.
However, even greater success came to him when on June 28, 1935, in a Honolulu newspaper, he first advertised the Hawaiian shirt. Magnificent colored shirts with tropical plant patterns, with coconut buttons and fasteners, became an excellent gift for tourists. What about tourists? A whole list of famous people wore these shirts. Suffice it to mention the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, the 33rd President of the United States, Harry Truman, and Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift were filmed in Hawaiian shirts in Hollywood movies. Singers and actors, athletes and presidents - all of them had an aloha shirt in their wardrobe, or even more than one. This is one version of the origin of Hawaiian shirts.
Another version says that Ellery Chan first saw the garish shirt at Musa-Shiya from Ti Hav Ho, the owner of a sportswear manufacturing business. He sold aloha shirts for just 95 cents! How Chan and Ti Hav Ho divided the sales territory is not mentioned in history. But judging by the fact that Ellery Chan lived to be 91 and died six years ago, the rivals chose peaceful cooperation. In any case, whoever was the progenitor of the modern Hawaiian shirt, Chan deserves respect if only for making great efforts to popularize it. After all, the Hawaiian shirt has firmly secured a high step on the fashion ladder, like Coco Chanel's little black dress. Speaking of dresses: ladies were not forgotten either. Along with Hawaiian shirts, dresses of similar colors appeared, with the interesting name muumuu. Orchids, birds of paradise, wondrous flowers - what woman would refuse such beauty?
In 1947, the Honolulu Board of Supervisors decided to encourage all residents and employees of Hawaii and allowed them to wear these shirts from June 1 to October 31 daily, because they are lightweight and cool, protecting from the heat. Strange as it may seem, this act of loyalty by local authorities influenced many countries. And more and more companies with strict dress codes began to allow employees an informal style on Fridays.
In the same year, an annual week-long shirt festival was organized, which takes place once a year to this day. Locals and tourists dress in their favorite aloha shirts, dance on the shore to the vibrant rhythms of island music, and enjoy the local cuisine.
In the 1950s, Hawaiian shirts became even more widespread thanks to new labels that read 'Made in Hawaii'. This label increased the value of buying Hawaiian dresses and shirts, allowing them to stand out in the market among cheap imitations and fakes. Initially, the labels bore the names of the shirts: Musa Shiya, Watamulls, Kamehameha, Kahala, Surfriders, etc. Over time, the names were gradually phased out, and now connoisseurs and collectors chase after 'named' shirts, purchasing them for thousands of dollars.
The Hawaiian shirt is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. A Honolulu-based Hawaiian goods merchant, Hilo Hattie, sewed the largest aloha shirt in March 1999 with a chest circumference of 4.26 m, waist of 4.08 m, and collar size of 1.53 m. It's hard to imagine who has such measurements, but the goal was achieved: sales of this product jumped again. In 2004, from January to June, the American Museum of Textile History held an exhibition, the title of which loosely translates as 'Forward! All to Hawaii!'. It reflected the charm of the islands, their quirky culture, and, of course, explored the cult of the Hawaiian shirt. Among tourist souvenirs, parrots, ethnic music, maps with tropical landscapes, and many other exhibits, 150 shirts dating from 1930 to 1960 were displayed. Most old Hawaiian shirts have a palette of three to five colors. Now the wider the palette of the shirt, the more expensive it is valued.
Few things can boast such a long history. The popularity of aloha seems not only not to decline, or to remain stable, but to grow. On July 1, 2003, Hawaiian Shirt Day was officially declared. Famous astronaut Edward Lu was turning 40 at that time, and NASA decided to congratulate the Hawaii native in this amusing way. On that day, most NASA employees came to work in Hawaiian shirts, despite the strict office dress code.
And what about Chan? Having made substantial profits from the sale of the popularized aloha shirts, he joined the board of directors of an American bank in 1945, and soon closed his store. He later became vice president of the bank, where even after retirement he worked as an advisory director.
By that time, only lazy merchants were not selling Hawaiian shirts, because after the dark and dreary times of World War II, colorful products from Hawaii were wildly successful. When Hawaii became the 50th state of America in 1959, aloha shirts spread all over the world.
The Hawaiian shirt has long become part of Hawaiian culture and is actively exported along with sugar, chocolate, coffee and pineapples. And Hawaii remains a tourist mecca to this day. No one returns from there without an aloha shirt, which reminds them of the magical and exotic delight that filled those days. Aloha greets you, reflecting all the playful, luxurious and yet natural wonders that abound in Hawaii!
Put on a Hawaiian shirt - this piece of tropical paradise! Who knows, maybe it will remind you that you haven't had a vacation in a long time.