Fashion designer shows off tropical work
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
Tutuvi is a Fijian word meaning "to wrap yourself up." It is also the name of a small but thriving textile business owned and run by Colleen Kimura. For 30 years, she has operated out of a shed, and subsequently a warehouse, in Mo'ili'ili. Now she is moving, and to mark the occasion, is exhibiting her work, which she calls "fabric of the tropics," spanning three decades.
Kimura graduated from Kaimuki High School and the University of Hawai'i with a degree in art, and began printing batiks with house-painting brushes and paraffin wax in 1970. After serving in the Peace Corps in Fiji from 1978-80, she was energized and inspired by Polynesia and returned to Honolulu to begin a screen-printing business.
Tutuvi Retrospective
•
1-5 p.m., through Friday
•
2850 S. King St.
•
947-5950
Tutuvi is recognized for its unusual color combinations and striking graphics. A recent collection paired red with orange and purple with lime green, with great success.
Kimura said she has always kept her collections small, and each piece is printed by hand. "It has to do with my low tolerance for risk. It's about all I could handle. Yet I always have one more idea and one more idea to pull me along."
Correction: The Tutuvi Retrospective of Polynesia-inspired fabric and fashion runs through tomorrow at 2850 S. King St., 1-5 p.m. 947-5950. An incorrect address ran in a previous version of this story.
