Kānaka Maoli (‘Native Hawaiian’) values in the fashion system: A case study of Micah Kamohoaliʻi

There is limited research on Kānaka Maoli (‘Native Hawaiian’) apparel designers and how they incorporate authentic cultural values in fashion. Research on clothing in Hawaiʻi has focused on traditional pre-contact clothing or classic pieces such as the aloha shirt or holokū, but no research has examined contemporary Kānaka Maoli fashion. Hawaiian culture was suppressed during colonization until the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s, when it began to re-emerge and be celebrated. This study examines how a Kānaka Maoli designer uses cultural values to guide design and manufacturing decisions. A case study was conducted with designer Micah Kamohoaliʻi, using grounded theory, line-by-line analysis of the interview transcript and garment analysis. Four themes emerged: authenticity, education, responsibility and sustainability. Crane and Bovone’s framework (2006) for the study of material culture guided the analysis of Kamohoaliʻi’s design and manufacturing methods. The findings revealed that specific colours and imagery are produced with cultural values of sustainability within a mass-manufacturing environment, with symbolic value communicated through prints and hangtags. This study demonstrates how Kānaka Maoli cultural values are embedded in contemporary clothing and manufacturing processes. Fashion from a Kānaka Maoli perspective illustrates how cultural values may continue to survive despite historical efforts to erase Hawaiian culture, offering alternative frameworks to the global fashion system.