Nohonani Hi-low Top in Nohonani

 Model is a size 16 and is wearing an XXL

ABOUT OUR NOHONANI PRINT

My Nohonani collection is inspired by a class that my grandmother created in her hālau, Hālau Hula Olana. As a little boy, I watched so many beautiful women, inside and out, dance in this class, and they served as her example, her standard, and her legacy. Nohonani, the class, was inspired by Queen Liliʻuokalani and the chant, “Liliʻu ē, noho nani mai.” And so it was only fitting that when I'd created this collection that I, too, would draw inspiration from our Queen and what Nohonani means to me.

And so, my Nohonani print tells the heart-wrenching story of our Queen and her illegal imprisonment. At the backdrop of this print resides a rendition of my ʻIolani print, symbolizing the ʻIolani palace where she was held captive. While imprisoned, Liliʻuokalani often received flowers from her garden wrapped in newspaper. This served as a source of hope, of comfort, as well as the only connection she had to the outside world.

When you look at my Nohonani print, at first glance, it just seems like any other floral pattern. It isn't until you get up close and personal that you realize that these bouquets of flowers are enveloped in Hawaiian language newspaper articles. Now, I didn't want the newspaper to be “in your face”, to be bold and loud. I wanted it to feel subtle like we snuck it in. I chose articles that spoke of Uluhaimalama specifically. Uluhaimalama was the Queen's garden that she dedicated to Hawai'i as a symbol of our strength, resistance, and resilience.

I'd be lying if I said that this collection was easy emotionally. I often found myself angry just thinking of our Queen and the way that she was treated. But Nohonani wasn't supposed to be angry. In fact, it was my goal to tell this story in the most graceful way that I could, because that's who our Queen was. She was a display of true beauty, grace, and elegance that transcended all of the unjust treatment she experienced. That is what Nohonani means to me. To sit. To Live. To dwell. To exist, beautifully. Not in the matters of physical appearance, but in the essence of who we choose to be, especially when times get hard.

It is my hope that Nohonani exudes the strength of Queen Liliʻuokalani. And when you wear it, it is also my hope that just like the flowers that bloom at Uluhaimalama, true beauty, grace, and elegance blossom and flourish from within, because that was her example, her standard, and her legacy.