1+1+1 a winning formula

Nadine Kam photos
From left, Hawai’i Tourism Japan’s Mitsue Varley with Sascha Koki, in a Diamond Headdolphin T-shirt, and Clarence Lee Design president and art director Kuni Yamamoto.

Companies pay thousands of dollars for branding, marketing and creative help. It’s one of the reasons the giants can wrangle a majority of the marketplace, leaving small businesses scrambling for scraps.

Something is wrong with this picture, and over at Clarence Lee Design, president and art director Kuni Yama­moto knew it. A member of Seiwajyuku — an international group of business owners, who follow the philosophy of Kyocera Corp. founder Kazuo Inamori in striving to do the right thing for people and the environment in their business practices — he was empowered to think his company could make a difference.

As a result of his desire to create a “win-win-win” situation, the 111-Hawaii Project was born, a collaboration between Clarence Lee Design and Hawai‘i Tourism Japan. 111-Hawaii stands for “1 Hand, 1 Home, 1 Heart” and had its launch Sunday at Aka­kura House, a footwear and made-in-Hawaii product boutique in Wai­kiki that now houses a small showroom for 111-Hawaii Project products. The products will be created by local businesses with a branding, packaging and marketing aboost from Clarence Lee Design specialists and their partners in media, public relations and retail.

Clarence Lee Vice President Laron Miya­shiro explained, “In our business we have a lot of big clients, but we also have a lot of small-business clients who are just starting out. A lot of them have good made-in-Hawaii products, but they don’t get the attention they need to grow and succeed. The thinking behind the project is that, as a design company, we could donate our services to help them with their branding and design.”

It is quite a gift for small businesses, and those interested in becoming a part of the project may apply online at www.111-hawaii.com/join-us/

A portion of proceeds from Project sales will benefit nonprofits focused on environment, culture and the arts. Beneficiaries will change annually. This year it’s Na Kama Kai (“Children of the Sea”), a nonprofit supporting ocean safety and conservation programs.

 Naomi Matsuo was serving Ueshima Coffee, or UCC Hawaii Corp.’s Ice Coffee, the first product launch from the 111-Hawaii Project.

New packaging by Clarence Lee Design was designed to help the UCC Coffee stand apart from the competition.

Keiki show the Diamond Headdog and Diamond Headolphin designs that will mark all 111-Hawaii Project products.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Beauty spot: Estée Lauder spring gift at Neiman Marcus

Estée Lauder photo

Just ahead of the new spring beauty season, Neiman Marcus is hosting an ”Up Close: Estée Lauder” event during store hours through Jan. 25 to introduce the brand’s new color and skin care products, in Cosmetics, Level One.

Those spending $75 or more in Estée Lauder items will receive a Lisa Perry-designed tote with deluxe samples of Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, ReNutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Creme, Sumptuous Extreme Bold Volume Lifting Mascara and AERIN Lilac Path fragrance sample, plus a full-size lipstick and eyeshadow palette in your choice of subtle or bold colors, at one gift per person, while supplies last.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Sephora teams with Maison du Chocolat for sweet V-Day surprise

Sephora photos

Maison du Chocolat for Sephora Collection’s Valentine’s Day gift box.

You survived Christmas, but don’t think you’re off the hook for gift giving. Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and Sephora is making shopping easier with a limited-edition, decadent beauty gift set created in collaboration with La Maison du Chocolate.

The La Maison du Chocolate for Sephora Collection features four signature pralines from the luxury chocolatier, paired with a lightweight matte lip color from Sephora Collection, all packaged in an elegant red box for $20. Sweet!

Sephora Collection’s Luster Matte long-lasting lip color in “Mulberry.”

Maison du Chocolate’s Grain Dentelle, milk chocolate praliné with slivers of crispy waffle.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

January designated 'Month of Me'

Chanel photo

I guess some people don’t know the “One for me, one for you” Christmas shopping philosophy of treating yourself even as you search arduously for others’ gifts.

For them, January is reward time, and digital offers destination RetailMeNot is calling January the “Month of Me.” After interviewing consumers for its post-Christmas trend report, they found that many consumers intend to spend nearly $160 on themselves this month.

Other findings:

>> 79 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed plan to spend the same or more on themselves in 2015 than they did last year.

>> A higher percentage of men (24 percent) vs. women (18 percent) report they will spend more on themselves in 2015.

>> As for how they will pay for their spending, 45 percent said they expect to be making more money in 2015 (50 percent of men vs. 39 percent of women). About a third (35 percent) said their ability to spend more on themselves is based on their smart shopping skills, allowing them stretch their dollars further. And 29 percent of consumers surveyed said lowering other expenses in 2015 will give them more to spend on themselves.

I’ve been pricing some of the classic Chanel handbags, which never seem to lose their value. Then I saw the cute Chanel pearl minaudiere online, which always confuses matters.

The question is, what will you be picking up for yourself?
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Manifest your dream life in 2015

Nadine Kam photos
Tiare Thomas with one of her Dreamboard starter kits, $60 at Akakura House in Waikiki.

Aloha Dreamboard founder Tiare Thomas hosted a launch party, “Aloha Dreamboard, Manifesting Dreams Into Reality,” Jan. 4 at Akakura House on Beachwalk Avenue in Waikiki as a way of starting the new year on a positive note.

While searching for direction in her own life, Thomas turned to creating vision, or dream, boards to sort through her life’s challenges, goals and ambitions.

“My dream board has served as a visual plan of the life I want to live. When things start going in a direction I don’t like, I go back to my dream board and it grounds me and reminds me of what I want to attract more of in my life,” she said. “When you can visually see what it is you want in life, you’re one step closer to manifesting it into reality.”

In the crowd was photographer Daniela Voicescu, who created her first dreamboard with Tiare’s help three years ago, when she was transitioning from her modeling career. Now that her career dreams have come true, she is working on a second board focusing on health and life balance. She said of dreamboarding, “I’m a visual person, so seeing is believing. Sometimes you wake in the morning and don’t know what to do, and you see the board and go, ‘OK, that’s what I should be focusing on.’ ”

Tiare Thomas photo
Tiare Thomas leads one of her “Champagne Dreams” workshops at Akakura House. See schedule below.

As her dreams became reality, she was inspired by the desire to help others find peace of mind and to live their dream lives. She started hosting workshops to share her knowledge about dreamboarding. Out of the popularity of her workshops, which help individuals focus on living a more purposeful life—came Aloha Dreamboard, LLC.

During Sunday’s event, she welcomed some dreamboarders who shared their success stories. On the panel were model, TV personality, professional surfer and Ocean Love founder Angela Maki Vernon; life coach and healer Britt Yap; celebrity makeup artist and esthetician Kecia Littman; and TV personality and executive producer McKenna Maduli.

Thomas has scheduled a series of “Champagne Dreams” dreamboard workshops for the first quarter of 2015, slated to take place Jan. 13, 14 and 25, Feb. 22, March 22, and April 19. Each workshop will take place at Akakura House, 280 Beachwalk Ave., and run $100 per person. RSVP by emailing alohadreamboard@gmail.com.

Photographer Daniela Voicescu was among guests at Sunday’s Aloha Dreamboard launch. She’s working on her second dreamboard since achieving goals set in her first three years ago.

Tiare was able to attend Oprah Winfrey’s “Live the Life You Want” tour in December, and added a page from Oprah’s workbook to her newest, door-sized dreamboard.

Thomas also offers private workshops and coaching. To sign up for a private or group workshop, or to purchase gift certificates, visit www.alohadreamboard.com/store. More information is available online at www.alohadreamboard.com.

Royal Hawaiian Center brings 'mob' to Kalakaua Avenue

Nadine Kam photos
The men show their PSD underwear from Princesse Tam-Tam after the “Waikiki Roots & Royal Style” fashion show at Royal Hawaiian Center.

Bear with me. Just clearing out the notebooks/
memory cards from 2014, and of course you all know what a busy month November was, with Hawai’i Fashion Month, HIFF, Eurocinema and “Chain of Fire,” the prologue exhibition for the Honolulu Biennial all going on at the same time, and me, having to take a three-week vacation before year end, in the midst of it all.

So, here’s what happened Nov. 22 when Royal Hawaiian Center marked Hawai’i Fashion Month with its “Waikīkī Roots & Royal Style: A Local Celebration,” a fashion show honoring the local fashion designers, stylists and business owners at the center.

The evening started with an attention-getting fashion flash mob as models crossed Kalakaua to draw onlookers to the start of the show in the Royal Grove, which you can see in the video.
Among the participating shops were Princesse Tam-Tam, Allure, Lole Hawaii, Fighting Eel, Island Slipper, Fighting Eel, Royal Hawaiian Golf Shop, Pink Sands and Aloha Aina Boutique.

A couple of looks from the show.


Non-flash video link

Sandhya Garg visits Hawaii museum's textile collection

Honolulu Museum of Art photo
Honolulu Museum of Art textile curator Sara Oka gave “Project Runway” designer Sandhy Garg a tour of the museum’s textile collections.

“Project Runway’s” Sandhya Garg, among Kini Zamora’s competition during Season 13, was in Honolulu with her family over the Christmas holiday and dropped in to Doris Duke’s Shangri La and the Honolulu Museum of Arts.

At the Honolulu Museum of Art, she was able to view the textile collections with textile curator Sara Oka. Here’s a link to the museum’s post about their meeting and shared love of the tactile art form: http://bit.ly/1zutIvN

The encounter seems to have left an open door for the possibility of future collaboration and sharing of resources, which would be of mutual benefit for the designer and Hawaii.