History of

the Hawaiian shirt

It was always only a matter of time before any significant hu man institution has a book written about it it’s just that some take longer to win the interest of scholars than others.

Now it can be told that the hour of the Hawaiian shirt has arrived: the history of this colorful, universally recognised, garment has been chronicled by one Thomas Steele in a volume entitled simply The Hawaiian Shirt (Thames and Hudson, $A23.95).

Mr Steele reveals that, for all the strong associations with lei sure held by the contemporary Hawaiian shirt, it had its origins in a garment designed specific ally for work and hard work at that.

This was the “thousand mile shirt” worn by many of the pioneers travelling the Oregon and Overland trails to California in the 19th century. Worn out side the trousers and with a bold pattern of color, the shirt was so named for its durability through months of travel and grimy work.

Even at this time there was regular sailing-ship contact be tween California and Honolulu.

The thousand mile shirt found its way to the Hawaiian Islands, and Chinese immigrants were the first to take to wearing it.

So, as time went on, did the Hawaiians.

After many twists and turns, the shirt more or less as we know it today was launched when in July, 1936, a Honolulu shirtmaker called Ellery J. Chun

coined the term “Aloha shirt”.

He was the first to make the shirt on a commercial basis, and sold it for $1 apiece in his own store.

Above: An Aloha shirt, with, below, a couple of Hawaiian numbers.