AWESOME ALOHAS
A Hawaiian (or Aloha) shirt speaks to the Polynesian origins of the pastime, while similarly speaking to its own adoption and adaption way beyond those origin shores – initially fuelled chiefly by both Japanese and Chinese enterprise. I love the decorative splash a punchily printed shirt creates, along with its versatility. They’re cool. In the absence of the Reg Mombassa designed Mambo Loud Shirts of the 1980s and 1990s or an OG Alfred Shaheen – personal grails – any of these fine examples would hit the spot, although the Paul Smith is closer to a true Hawaiian thanks to its camp collar. The Tokyo company Toyo has a brand called Sun Surf that offers the most gorgeous Alohas, and also runs an online museum of vintage examples: it’s well worth surfing.