Cult fashion for spring: the history of the Hawaii shirt

Bright colors, colorful flowers and summer mood – most people combine with Hawaiihemden and Hawaii. And that is exactly why the kitschy cult clothes are so popular every year. It curiously experienced its birth in one of the dark decades of recent history, during the global economic crisis in the early 20th century.

Hawaii has only been part of the United States since August 21, 1959, but was already longing for many Americans in the 1920s. And for good reason: white beaches, turquoise water, Hawaiian orchids, Strelitzien, Anthuria and Plumeria offer a wonderful (mental) escape from recession and unemployment.

How the shirts were created is not exactly handed down. It is likely that Japanese tailors in Hawaii began to process the classic Kimono fabric for men’s shirts. Accordingly, Japanese motifs such as cherry blossoms adorn the shirts. The Hawaiian flora followed later. And for good reason.

In the twenties, the shirts were also reserved for wealthy tourists and locals, because normal workers could not afford family vacation in Hawaii. It is no different, which changed, the Aloha shirt was. True to the motto: you don’t come to me, I come to you, conquered the US festival country.

The Ellery Chun is thanks to the mid-1930s The first Hawaiihemden produced as mass -produced goods, shipped to the USA and thus paved the way to success. Even then they excited the minds: As reported, the Los Angelos Times recommended the buyers of the Hawaii shirts to buy two or three because women and daughter certainly want to wear one of the colorful shirts.

Despite all the cheap provocations, the Hawaii shirt prevailed. Why can only be suspected. However, it is obvious that it was due to the male celebrities that were ahead of their time and were not afraid to confess color as a man. In the 30s, this included singers Bing Crosby and Duke “The Big Kahuna” Kahanamoku, triple Olympic champion in swimming and one of the founders of the wave riding. Both conveyed one thing above all: the irrepressible charm of a man who doesn’t have to worry about his masculinity if he wears a colorful shirt.

With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Hawaii shirt changed again. During the war, the shirts were not produced due to lack of fabric and when the war was won, the traditional Japanese patterns gave way to the Hawaiian plants and natural motifs.

In the 1950s, soldiers in particular made the Hawaii shirt popular, who had returned from the Pacific room. Unsurprisingly, the then US President Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 to December 1972) could be photographed for the Life magazine in the Hawaii shirt.

In the 1960s, the cult garage then experienced its preliminary climax. On the one hand, this time style icons like the King of Rock in the robe. On the cover for “Blue Hawaii”, Elvis Presley wore a dark red Hawaii shirt that was decorated with a white flower pattern.

On the other hand, photos of Richard Nixon (January 9, 1913 to April 22, 1994) were also taken in the Aloha shirt during this time. This exudes the charm of the bourgeois suburban father, who wants to come across a little more relaxed.

As a result, the touch of the mut evaporated and gave way to the kitsch of a long -forgotten holiday memory, which you prefer to bury deep in the wardrobe instead of proudly presenting it. The big fashion chains then did so and turned away from the colorful flower patterns.

Hollywood handled the Hawaii shirt very different. From the 1980s to the late 1990s, the rebellious characters of the dream smithy in particular wore the colorful shirts. For example, Al Pacino in “Scarface”, Tom Cruise in “Cocktail”, Leonardo DiCaprio in “Romeo and Juliet” or Brad Pitt in “Fight Club”, as reported.

In the 2000s, surfing labels such as Quicksilver particularly shaped the Hawaiihemd trend. However, it took a good 15 years for Italian noble brands like Gucci to jump on the train and stroll again over the catwalks in Milan, Paris and New York.

It is therefore not calmer about the cult piece, on the contrary. Even the Hawaii shirt itself is not spared a trend and how should it be different: Princeton professor Zara Anishanlin sees the “fashionable counterpart to the plantation wedding” in the garment, which “symbolizes colonialism, imperialism and racism against the indigenous population Hawaiis”.

However, this did not (yet) result in a real outcry against the Hawaii shirt. Maybe because it just looks too good for that. Or because most people see it like year of Dale Hope. He is a local manufacturer for Hawaiihemden and author of the book ““. He revealed that the importance of Aloha is an essence of being, love, peace, compassion and a mutual understanding of respect. And that is exactly what makes the Hawaii shirt the trend clothes of summer 2023.