As a water person, Ireland was always searching for the perfect swimsuit: "I found that suits either looked cute but didn't stand up to hard wear in the water or they worked well but didn't look cute and flattering."

Although she had no design background and didn't know how to sew, Ireland sketched swimsuits that suited her and found a pattern maker and seamstress to make samples.

After testing and retesting the styles, construction and fabrics, she took her first suits to market. Oddly, they sold first in Australia. Her initial Hawai'i account was a huge one — the Navy Exchange at Pearl Harbor. Since then she has "had a slow launch and a steep learning curve," adding small O'ahu and Maui boutiques, one by one, to her roster of clients.

Ireland got a celebrity break when the Fox TV series "North Shore" chose her corset suit for star Brooke Burke and several of her bikinis for other actresses.

Hawaiian Hula Girl is a family business. The prints are created with help from her mother, Maui artist Jill Ireland, and her husband, Rolf Walters, a scientist who lends his computer skills to her logo, brand identity and catalogue.

Hawaiian Hula Girl swimsuits are sold at By the Beach in Waikiki, Cosmopolitan Sun Shop in Hawai'i Kai, Lanikai Beachwear in Kailua, Bikini Bubbles in Lahaina, Maui, and Hana Highway Surf Shop in Pa'ia, Maui.