Hawaii-based apparel company Kahala has a special edition aloha shirt entitled ʻĀina Pūlama Mau, meaning “islands forever treasured” in Hawaiian, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Hawaii chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
TNC has been active since the late 1960s, helping to protect Hawaii’s lands and waters. A Honolulu office opened in 1980 and has since created partnerships to manage over 2 million acres of forests and watersheds, collaborated with more than 50 local communities to restore Hawaii’s coral reefs and fisheries, and initiated operations to restore wildlife and study climate resilience at Palmyra Atoll.
Founded in 1936, Kahala is the oldest operating apparel company in Hawaii, and the first to manufacture aloha shirts at scale locally. With a history of creating designs featuring native Hawaiian species, Kahala connected with TNC to help tell a story about the plants and animals they help protect via a custom-designed print.
Kahala artists worked closely with TNC experts, and the result is a piece of artwork that evokes a call to preserve the nature and culture of these islands.
“The native plants and animals featured on this shirt celebrate the stunning biocultural diversity found in our lands and waters,” said TNC Hawaii chapter executive director Ulalia Woodside. “They are the foundation of what makes Hawaii, Hawaii, and there is a story to be told about each one of them. We are honored to work with Kahala to tell that story through this design.”
The special edition aloha shirts are available at Kahala stores, online, and at select retailers, with a portion of proceeds supporting The Nature Conservancy.
