The Hawaiian shirt itself took shape in the early twentieth century on Hawaii's farms, where workers arrived from Japan, Portugal, and across the Pacific, each bringing their own dress traditions. Its silhouette is borrowed from the palaka work shirt, while its fabric and printed motifs carried over the visual character of Japanese kasuri cloth and, in many cases, came directly from kimono material repurposed for everyday wear. The term Aloha Shirt entered public use by the mid-1930s, appearing in a Honolulu newspaper advertisement in 1935, with the name formally trademarked the following two years.
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What began as practical, homemade clothing had, by the late 1930s, become a favorite among visitors to the islands, its bold patterns and relaxed fit serving as both casual wear and a popular souvenir of island travel. The shirt's reach soon extended well beyond Hawaii's borders, finding its way into the wardrobe of a sitting US president during a 1951 Florida vacation. Acceptance in the workplace came later and separately: in 1962 a Hawaii garment manufacturers' association began actively lobbying lawmakers to wear Hawaiian shirts, arguing the islands' hot climate made conventional business attire impractical. That campaign led to the 1966 emergence of "Aloha Friday," when wearing island shirts on Fridays became standard practice in many Hawaii workplaces, a custom that eventually influenced “Casual Fridays”.
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- Crepe rayon Cloth
- Carved bamboo buttons
- Arrives in wooden display box
- Made in Japan
