History and Origin of the Aloha Shirt

HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF THE ALOHA SHIRT - KIMONO ALOHA SHIRT SPECIALTY STORE|KIMONO-CYCLE
  • Palaca shirts originated?

It has already been introduced in various articles that what is called a 'traditional Hawaiian aloha shirt' is this 'palaka' shirt with a plaid pattern.

It is said that the original open-collared shirts worn by British and American sailors who came to Hawaii had their roots in the open-collared shirts. (There are various theories).

 

  • Relationship between "Kimono" and "Aloha Shirt

It is said that Japanese immigrants officially settled in Hawaii in 1885, and it is noted that the main work of the immigrants at that time was growing sugarcane.

The "palaka" shirts worn by the locals in Hawaii when working in the sugar cane fields were the aforementioned "palaka" shirts, which were mostly made of cotton.

Japanese immigrants wore "kimonos" that they brought from Japan, not western-style clothing.
Therefore, it seems that they remade their own "kimonos" to resemble "palaka" shirts and wore them.
This is the This is said to be the origin of the "aloha shirt. This is said to be the origin of the "aloha shirt.

That being said, there is some resemblance between a kasuri "kimono" and a "palaka"!

 

  • Birth of the Aloha Shirt

ALOHA is the " heart" or "spirit" that accepts all things, and it means to treat people with compassion, respect, and love. It means to treat people with compassion, respect, and love.

Akahai Compassion
Lokahi Cooperation
Olu'olu Joy
Ha'a Ha'a Humility and honesty
Ahonui Patience

The Japanese brought kimonos from their homeland and reworked them into shirts with "palaka" style Japanese patterns, which gradually became popular in Hawaii, and around 1930, these palaka-style shirts with Japanese patterns came to be called "aloha shirts.

 

This Aloha shirt The term "aloha shirt" was first introduced to the world by a newspaper advertisement by "Musashiya Shoten," a Japanese clothing store in Honolulu at the time.

Later, with the advent of rayon and other synthetic fibers, it became easier to process various types of shirts, and printed patterns such as hibiscus and nature patterns became the mainstream, and have remained so to this day.

 

  • Kimono Aloha

Most of the fabrics used for aloha shirts today are synthetic fibers such as polyester, but so-called "vintage" fabrics such as "rayon" and "silk" used in those days are said to be high-class aloha shirts.

KIMONO-CYCLE offers Kimono Aloha Shirts We will continue to provide "Kimono Aloha Shirts" as modern Aloha shirts, sticking to "pattern matching" as much as possible even if they are changed into shirts, making use of Japanese kimono craftsmanship of the time, such as Yuzen dyeing, foil processing, embroidery, etc.

 

Purchase Kimono Aloha Shirts here: ▶︎