The Impact of Alfred Shaheen's Use of Asian Design Motifs on the Development of the Hawaiian Textiles and Garment Industry

  • Bradley, Linda Arthur (Department of Apparel Merchandising, Design and Textiles Pullman, Washington State University)
  • Received : 2013.12.02
  • Accepted : 2013.12.18
  • Published : 2013.12.31

Abstract

Hawaiian textile art has inspired artists and fashion designers worldwide and accounts for the high value of vintage Hawaiian apparel as collectibles. Other than tropical designs, a large portion of the textile art showcased the ethnic diversity of Hawai'i. In the 1800s, Hawai'i attracted immigrants from all over Asia, and the majority of Hawaii's residents today claim Asian ethnicity. This ethnic mix was made visible in textiles, a trend championed by Alfred Shaheen, an apparel manufacturer who loved Asian designs. He was committed to the celebration of cultural diversity at a time when Hawai'i was rapidly westernizing. The team of Asian textile artists he led created textile designs based on motifs and imagery from Asia. Shaheen's passionate vision led to the unique textiles produced in the 'golden age' of Hawaiian textiles, from 1940 through the 1960s. Alfred Shaheen has been called "Hawaii's Master Printer" and has been credited for turning Hawaiian textiles into art. The author's interviews with Mr. Shaheen were conducted over a decade, and form the basis for this paper in which Shaheen's own words are used to discuss his use of textile art in the transformation of the Hawaiian textiles and garment industry.

Keywords

References

  1. Arthur, L. (2000). Aloha Attire: Hawaiian Dress in the Twentieth Century. Atglen, PA, USA, Schiffer Publications.
  2. Arthur, L. (2006). The aloha shirt and ethnicity in Hawaii. Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture, 1(4), 10-34.
  3. Arthur, L. (2008). East meets west: The aloha shirt as an instrument of acculturation in Men's Fashion Reader. A. Riley and S. Cosbey Eds. New York, USA, Fairchild.
  4. Bradley, L. (2012). Fusion Fashion: East met west in Hawaiian textiles. Paideusis, the Journal of Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Studies, (6), 1-21.
  5. Brown, D., & Arthur, L. (2002). The Art of the Aloha Shirt. Honolulu, HI, USA, Island Heritage Publications.
  6. Brown, D., & Arthur, L. (2005). The Art of the Aloha Shirt. Japanese language edition. Tokyo. Island Heritage Publications.
  7. Eicher, J., Evenson, S., & Lutz, H. (2000). The Visible Self: Global Perspectives on Dress, Culture and Society. NY. Fairchild.
  8. Hope, D., & Tozian, G. (2000). The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands. Hillsboro, OR. Beyond Words Publications.
  9. Kelly, M. (2002). Seeking authenticity in the marketplace. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2(37), 220-43.
  10. Kelly, M. (2003). Projecting and image and expressing identity: T-shirts in Hawaii. Fashion Theory, 2(7), 191-211.
  11. Kelly, M. (2012). T-shirts that tell tales: Remembrance and resistance in T-shirt designs in Hawaii. Paideusis; Journal of Interdisciplinary and Cross Cultural Research, (6) E1-E33.
  12. Leslie, H., & Addo, P. (2007). Pacific textiles, Pacific cultures: Hybridity and pragmatic creativity. Pacific Arts, 5(3), 1-12.
  13. McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 1(13), 71-84.
  14. Morgado, M., & Reilly, A. (2012). Funny kine clothes: The Hawaiian shirt and popular culture. In, K. Miller-Spillman, A. Reilly & P. Hunt-Hurst, eds. Meanings of Dress pp. 100-113. New York. Fairchild.
  15. Morgado, M. (2003). From kitch to chic; Transformation of Hawaiian shirt aesthetics. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 21(2), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X0302100203
  16. Noland, L. (2009, January 4). Alfred Shaheen, garment industry pioneer, dies at 86. Los Angeles Times.
  17. Rosaldo, R. (1995). Foreward. In N.G. Canclini, Ed. Hybrid Cultures: Strategies for Entering and Leaving Modernity. xi-xvii.
  18. Schneider, J., & Weiner, A. (1989). Cloth and Human Experience. Washington D.C, USA. Smithsonian.
  19. Simon, L. (2000). Man of the cloth: The classic fashions of tropicwear innovator Alfred Shaheen. Hana Hou, 4(3), 24-29.