'Get Out!' active apparel on Hawaii runway

Nadine Kam photos
Shoppers at the popup shops at Hawai’i Convention Center had a little surprise help from the designers involved, including Tsu.ya’s Kristi Yamaguchi, center, with Elizabeth Wen Tell. Yamaguchi helped Stephanie Matsumoto, left, make her sportswear selections. Visit http://www.tsuyabrand.com to shop. I especially liked her zippered, edgier take on leggings.

If there’s one thread running through Hawai’i Fashion Month, it’s that collaboration is one key to fashion success. The past weekend offered some spectacular shows at Hawai’i Convention Center, that showed what can happen with a mashup of local and New York talent, and when designers can broaden their horizons.

All too often in Hawaii, we work as individual islands, and as small as many participating companies are, the word I got was that business owners still have the same reservations and concerns as the world’s top brands when it comes to mixing up labels and worries about the company they keep.


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Because each label often presents its own fashion show, what we usually see is one singular, myopic vision of a brand.

It’s hard for any stylist to convince brands to mix it up, the way pieces are worn in real life, because no brand wants to water down its concept, but Hawaii-born, now New York-based stylist Don Sumada showed time and again how to mix it up with the kind of panache that gets attention.

Featured were pieces from Naissance, by Japan designer Takashi Kumagai, Saturdays Surf NYC, Sig Zane, Tsu.ya by Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, AllisonIzu, Roberta Oaks, Meleana, Matt Bruening, and more.

The result, during the “Get Out!” show of casual, active and swimwear, was a fresh way of layering and accessorizing that lifts Hawaii out of “regional wannabe” category, and into the realm of national- and international-caliber player.

More, please!

John Koga was one of the artists, along with Lawrence Seward, who designed the pop-up shop at Hawai’i Convention Center, featuring garments, accessories and jewelry by local designers against the backdrop of the late Tadashi Sato’s “Volcano.”

Scarves by Kaypee Soh were among pieces featured in the popup shop.

Julie Chu and Courtney Coleman were there to represent Loco Boutique in a popup sponsored by H.I.S. Travel Agency.