SUN SURF SPECIAL EDITION “HAWAIIAN MONARCH”

Product Name: "HAWAIIAN MONARCH"
Vintage: CHARLIE CHAN
Era: Late 1930s
Material: Rayon Doublure
Print: Discharge Print
Design Pattern: All-Over Pattern
Buttons: Coconut Buttons

This piece, named "Hawaiian Monarch," features a main motif of the Hawaiian crest (the emblem of the Kingdom of Hawaii) and a traditional Polynesian tapa pattern throughout the shirt. If you look closely, names of the royal family such as Kamehameha, Kalakaua, and Liliuokalani are inscribed, giving it significant historical value. This version, made from colors in similar shades, is based on a vintage piece recently discovered and represents the first reproduction by Sun Surf.

The brand "Charlie Chan," which crafted the original, established a store in downtown Honolulu's Nuuanu Street in the late 1930s, shortly after the advent of the Aloha shirt, starting as a tailoring shop. Uncharacteristically for its time among the earliest Aloha shirt brands, it actively advertised using magazines and newspapers of the era to grow its customer base. It is recognized as one of the important brands that supported the early development of Aloha shirts, alongside Ellery Chan's "Aloha" brand and Koichiro Miyamoto's "Musashiya Shoten."

SUN SURF SPECIAL EDITION

This Aloha shirt symbolizes paradise Hawaii. Its origins are deeply tied to Japanese immigrants, resulting in not only tropical patterns but also vintage Japanese designs. By the mid-20th century, as Hawaii solidified its status as a tourist destination, the demand for Aloha shirts as souvenirs surged dramatically. The diversity in design and pattern led to the creation of many unique pieces. Collecting vintage Aloha shirts occasionally leads to rare finds. To pay homage to the textile designers who created those masterpieces now fading with time, Sun Surf's special edition fully replicates their charm, from the luxurious multicolored prints and striking designs to the different details specific to each manufacturer and era.