Reyn Spooner marks 60 years

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Reyn Spooner marked it's 60th anniversary with a fashion show on Ala Moana Center's Center Stage July 7, that took viewers on a journey from the 1950s to the present.

Opening the show were models Roycen Dehmer and Desmond Centro in Reyn's rice bag shorts from the 1950s, that had emcee Jordan Segundo quipping, "They did a lot of recycling then."

I'm glad that recycling is back in a big way, showing that good ideas may skip a generation, but always come back with a generation seeking the "new."

Nadine Kam photos
From left, in Reyn Spooner, company chairman Charlie Baxter, president Kirk Hubbard III, and Japan partners Takuro Sakatoku, Ryota Matsumoto and Fumio Matsubara, following the brand's fashion show on Ala Moana's Center Stage.


Sixty years is a grandpa territory, but over the years, Reyn Spooner has remained relevant in keeping up with the times. In recent years, the brand has collaborated with such urban lifestyle and fashion brands as Stüssy, Opening Ceremony, Converse and Vans.

And, it doesn't end there.

Company chairman Charlie Baxter, a former San Francisco-based e-commerce CEO, invested in Reyn Spooner because he said he sees its potential reach far beyond Hawaii's shores.

"It's really a state treasure," he said, with a history of influencing many major resort and lifestyle brands, and a story that resonates around the globe for people who love Hawaii.

Always cognizant of its Hawaii roots and ties to community, one of Reyn Spooner's latest designs Reyn Spooner designs is a limited edition aloha print honoring The Friends of Iolani Palace’s 50th anniversary. A portion of sales will support the organization’s restoration, preservation and conservation efforts. The shirts retail for $118, women’s scarves are $80, and eco totes are $26.

The company initially found its niche creating an aloha shirt casual enough for weekends, and dignified enough for customers to wear professionally. Back then, the only shirts on the market were poor fitting, loud-colored garments made for the fledgling tourism industry.

One of the company's biggest hits was an all-cotton, pullover aloha shirt with a button-down collar. But founder Reyn McCullough wasn't satisfied with the intensity and brightness of the tropical- and calico-print fabrics he was using. He liked the shirts worn by surfers—those bleached out by constant sun exposure. After experimenting with ways to achieve the same chambray effect, he realized the easiest solution was to simply turn his fabrics inside out. The company is still widely recognized as the originator of the "reverse print" they remain famous for today.

Following the fashion show, the celebration continued at the Reyn Spooner store near Macy's. Guests were treated to seafood dishes from Roy's Restaurant, with signature Spooner Kloth serving as a table cloth.

Hamachi and sea asparagus over Spooner Kloth.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her fashion coverage is in print on Saturdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

A piece of Hawaii at Olympic games

Photo courtesy Surf Line Hawaii/Jams World
The U.S. Virgin Islands Olympics team donned Jams World's Blutapa retro men's shirts to march in the games opening ceremonies July 27.

In analyzing the national costumes worn during the Parade of Athletes segment of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games, The Bleacher Report assigned the U.S. Virgin Islands team an A, writing:

"The Virgin Islands went with the sweet Hawaiian shirt that you can't pull off outside of of a tropical island. Although, apparently you can pull it off on the British Isles as well! The Virgin Islands were one of the final nations to walk the parade and really ended it with a bang."

It turns out that "sweet Hawaiian shirt" is really a Hawaiian shirt from Jams World.

Says Surf Line Hawaii/Jams World's Pua Rochlen, "An account we sell (to) in the Virgin Islands contacted us. They said the team asked if they could get a bunch of shirts for their team. They notified us and we shipped it out last month."

This is the second time the team has entered the games wearing Jams World, which was also seen by viewers of the Beijing Games.

The Blutapa men's retro shirt is $98 at www.jamsworldshop.com.

In comparison, the U.S. team outfits designed by Ralph Lauren received a C+ from the site, which said, "These uniforms are just not that bad—although not terribly creative."