Few things say more about Hawai'i than the aloha shirt.
Tourists see them as exotic souvenirs, but for locals, they serve as a uniform for the tropical soul, an expressive symbol that says the wearer has embraced the casual pace of Island living.
Consider this: Hawai'i is the only state in the nation where the traditional uniform of business — the suit and power tie — is regularly scrapped in favor of loose-fitting aloha shirts.
One could even argue that the Mainland practice of "casual Fridays" has its origins in the aloha shirt. In 1966, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i created Aloha Fridays so that government and business officials who normally dressed according to Mainland fashion could wear aloha shirts instead.
When the first aloha shirts appeared is not clear, but many feel they gained their initial widespread popularity in the 1930s.
Businessman Ellery J. Chun registered the trade name "aloha" shirt in 1936. Chun ran a store, and he and his sister designed short-sleeved shirts out of leftover kimono material. Chun placed the shirts in the window of his store with a sign that said, "Aloha Shirts." The shirts quickly caught the eye of local residents, including surfers and beach boys who entertained tourists in Waikiki.
Then as now, wearers loved their loose-fitting cut and their brightly colored patterns.
And their designs were a visual treat, filled with flowers, pineapples, palm trees, surfers, hula dancers — any image that could create a dreamy, romantic image of the Islands.
