HISTORY OF CUSTOM HAWAIIAN SHIRTS

The modern Hawaiian or Aloha shirt was created in the early 1930s by a Chinese merchant Ellery Chun in Waikiki. Chun began sewing brightly colored shirts for tourists out of old kimono fabrics he had leftover in stock. Chun trademarked the name Aloha. Local residents, especially surfers, and tourists bought every shirt they could from Chun's store. Apparel Stuff R Us produces custom Hawaiian shirts for many types of business to wear as uniforms, sales meetings, product launches, client & employee gifts, etc.

Alfred Shaheen, a textile manufacturer, revolutionized the garment industry in postwar Hawaii by designing, printing and producing aloha shirts. This was most likely the beginning of creating Custom Hawaiian Shirts.

In 1946, the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce funded a study of aloha shirts and designs for comfortable business clothing worn during the hot Hawaiian summers. The City and County of Honolulu passed a resolution allowing their employees to wear sport shirts from June–October. Locals needed the clothing for the festivals, and soon people in Hawaii began wearing the clothing in greater numbers on more of a daily basis. This caused a real boom in custom Hawaiian shirt sales.

In 1962, a professional association known as the Hawaiian Fashion Guild began to promote aloha shirts and clothing for use in the workplace, particularly as business attire. In a campaign called "Operation Liberation", the Guild distributed two aloha shirts to every member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Hawaii Senate. Subsequently, a resolution passed in the Senate recommending aloha attire be worn throughout the summer.

The popularity of the Aloha shirt boomed in the United States after World War II as major celebrities sported the Hawaiian wear. President Harry S. Truman wore Aloha shirts regularly during his tenure in the White House and in retirement. John Wayne and Duke Kahanamoku endorsed major custom Hawaiian shirts designer labels, while Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, Bing Crosby, Richard Lewis, Arthur Godfrey, Johnny Weissmuller, comedian Gabriel Iglesias, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Randy Newman, Steve Bunce, Tobias Sammet, and Jay-Z entertained while wearing them. The dress code for employees of Trader Joe's includes custom Hawaiian shirts.

Aloha shirts have also become a highly sought after collector's item. They have a loyal following, with vintage custom Hawaiian shirts sometimes being sold for thousands of dollars. The most sought after Aloha shirts from the 1930s through the 1950s are the large percentage of Aloha shirts from that period made of rayon, since that fabric is the most comfortable to wear in warm weather.

We at Apparel Stuff R Us  are very proud at the great variety of patterns we’ve designed for our hundreds of clients’ custom Hawaiian shirts. Once you send us your logo, we will send you several pattern choices for your very own custom Hawaiian shirts.  Take a look at our  pricing/examples below for custom Hawaiian shirts we’ve done for other clients and to check out our industries lowest prices. Should you desires any samples of our custom Hawaiian shirts, please let us know and we will be happy to send you some.

History of Ties

Around 1944, ties started to become not only wider, but wilder. Widths reached 5 inches, and designs included Art Deco, hunting scenes, scenic "photographs", tropical themes, and even girlie prints, though more traditional designs were also available. The typical length was 48 inches. The Bold Look lasted until about 1951. Because the quantities per pattern were small, they were considered to be custom ties.

In the 1980s, narrower ties, some as narrow as 11⁄2 inches but more typically 3 to 31⁄4 inches wide, became popular again. Into the 1990s, as ties got wider again, increasingly unusual designs became common. Novelty (or joke) ties or deliberately designed to make a statement gained certain popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. These included custom ties featuring cartoon characters or pop culture icons. During this period, with men wearing their pants at their hips, ties lengthened to 57 inches. Custom ties became very popular during this time.

We at Apparel Stuff R Us are very proud at the great variety of patterns we’ve designed for our hundreds of clients’ custom ties. Once you send us your logo, we will send you several pattern choices for your custom ties. Take a look at our ties pricing/examples page for custom ties we’ve done for other clients and to check out our industries lowest prices for truly made custom ties. Should you desires any samples of our custom ties, please let us know and we will be happy to send you some.