January 7, 2009
Aloha Alfred Shaheen, aloha shirt guy
Inventor of the Hawaiian Shirt Passes Away, the headline screams. Well, no. Not quite. Alfred Shaheen didn’t invent the Hawaiian shirt, but he made it possible for you to have one. What he did was to turn Hawaiian fabrics and garment-making into a viable industry. What had traditionally been a Mom and Pop, cottage industry-type of business became big business under his influence. He gathered a team of artisans to design and screen print fabrics and to design and produce the clothing here in the islands. So, while he didn’t invent aloha wear, he turned it into a made-in-Hawaii product and inspired the thriving aloha wear industry of today. Mr. Shaheen passed away Christmas week and I’m only just catching up with the news, but wanted to salute his memory. Hawaii has lost an enterprising and innovative spirit. Aloha Alfred.
Mahalo to Julie for suggesting this post!
[tags]Alfred Shaheen, aloha wear, Hawaiian clothing, Hawaiian shirts[/tags]
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January 8th, 2009 at 3:44 am, Karen Says:
This was so interesting. I’m sure the people of HI loved him and valued his insight. He created many jobs for people which was a wonderful thing.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:45 am, Martin Says:
Thanks for blogging about this man. Hey, remember back a few decades ago when people were encouraged to ‘Buy American’? Maybe the best thing to do in lieu of flowers would be to buy an American made garment, if you can find one.