It’s easy to forget sometimes, with the ubiquity of fast-fashion brands and the increasing globalization of the world, that cultural and historical influences from many parts of the world play a strong role in the fashion we see today.
Commonly, it is understood that globalization has effectively disseminated western ideals by intruding on non-western cultures. However, even garments such as the common T-shirt is culturally claimed when it features a specific type of print or pattern. You may not realize this but the aloha shirts you see on any shop near the beach, or any shop selling beachwear, actually comes from traditional Hawaiian clothing practices, and not simply Western interpretation of Hawaiian culture.
Curious to know how Hawaiian clothing evolved to what it is today?
Traditional Hawaiian Clothing
The early Hawaiians wore very little clothing. Considering that clothing was initially primarily used as a way to protect against the elements, and taking into account the scorching heat of the Hawaiian islands, why would they need to cover up?
Males wore ‘malo’ while females wore ‘pa’u.’ A malo is the equivalent to what we call the loincloth today, while the pa’u is a skirt. They are both made from plant fibers. Plant fibers were both comfortable and environmentally-friendly. In the case of rain, men and women also wore a ‘kihei’ which is a rectangular shawl that provides warmth and protection from water showers. In addition to the malo, pa’u, and kihei, early Hawaiians also adorned themselves with capes, helmets made from feathers, and ‘leis,’ and decorated their bodies with tattoos. These adornments usually reflected the person’s skills and position in society.
Lei’s, as a surviving and highly salient part of early Hawaiian culture, might be of particular interest. They were brought in by the Polynesians who came to the islands in 750 A.D. and who brought with them their tradition of attiring themselves with local vines and flowers. It was only from the 14th century that Hawaiians developed their own leis from the local flora. Hawaiian leis could be worn for everyday tasks, for celebrations, and by commoners and chiefs.
In terms of fabric or materials used to create clothing, early Hawaiians not only used plant fibers, but also bark cloth called ‘Kapa,’ and grasses. Kapa was a ‘processed’ material in the sense that it was modified from its natural form to create a soft, and durable texture. Kapa is made by pounding out bark from the trees of quake, akala, oloa, mamaki, or hua into sheets of fabric. These sheets were then decorated with colorful patterns and printed designs made from vegetable dye. It is these patterns that form the roots of the Hawaiian patterns we know and love today; the ones we see adorning modern-day aloha shirts. But the Hawaiians weren’t just ingenious in pattern-making, they also added aromas to cloth by beating fragrant flowers into these sheets of fabric.
Evolution of Traditional Hawaiian-Wear
Traditional Hawaiian clothing evolved as the islands received foreign visitors and experienced trade from other countries. One of the most important markers of this was the arrival of Christian missionaries to the islands in the 1800s whose sensibilities dictated that the men and women of the islands cover themselves up for modesty. This meant that the malo and the pa’u skirts were slowly being replaced in favor of board shorts and muumuus.
The famous ‘aloha shirt’ was created in its present form in 1938 from imported Japanese silk. These shirts were made with tropical designs exclusively to serve tourists to the islands. The locals started wearing these because of shipping disruptions experienced during World War II. Nowadays, aloha shirts in polyester or cotton are a staple of the Hawaiian wardrobe along with rubber flip-flops and board shorts in polyester and nylon. However, the malo features at tribal festivals or other Hawaiian cultural rituals albeit usually over a pair of pants.
Women’s clothing evolved into the muumuu which is a loose-fitting, short-sleeved dress that effectively hides the body. This was the work of Christian missionaries who set up bases in Maui and Oahu in the 1820s. Nowadays, Hawaiian women commonly wear the muumuu as well as aloha shirts, board shorts, pants, pa’u skirts, tank tops etc. These are usually made from cotton or silk and heavily feature traditional Hawaiian floral patterns.
Cultural and historical context greatly affect the evolution of the fashion of a country. Even though globalization has led to the common acceptance and widespread use of T-shirts, pants, and other ‘western’ garments, cultural flows do go both ways. Just like the pants became ubiquitous around the world, so have motifs from native Hawaiian culture, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, etc. Perhaps thinking of globalization as imposing strictly western values of clothing around the world may be too simplistic; it has also led to the popularization of Eastern and Asian cultural aspects in the Western world.