About the Collection

  • Shop donation products - proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association! 
  • My debut collection for JAK (2022) was built on memories of my Nana Chun and my career as an engineer/ artist. It’s still on Instagram, but if you’ve never seen it, I wrote about how I see the world as a combination of structure and functionality (engineer), and nature and beauty (artist). While they seem opposite, they consistently complement and support one another.
    My Nana Chun was often in the kitchen or her sewing room, making things for those she loved. Her quilts are meticulous and a combination of pattern and color. She always supported my art (she even let me make a quilt with her once where I hand drew a bunch of animals with fabric markers, and she sewed it).
    Later in life she developed dementia and was not able to make her own crafts or remember that she ever did. She passed in October of this year, and we all miss her a lot. Still, it's nice to curl up in a quilt she made and remember how much she loved us. This is now my tribute to her and her craft in my own style! Proceeds from selected items in the shop this year will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association!
    She also made the traditional Hawaiian quilt pattern pillows that are often seen in local homes. I looked into making these at one point, and realized they’re created from a precise mirroring of identical shapes combined with machine and hand sewn stitches. Needless to say, I never made one. But I did draw 12! ʻŌhiʻa, ʻIlima, Maile, which I made into towels last year, Pua Kala which snuck it’s way onto a card last year, and now Paʻu O Hiʻiaka, Pōhinahina, Kou, Naupaka, Hau, Koʻoloa ʻula, Kokiʻo keʻokeʻo, and Pōhuehue.

About the Plants

As a Hawaiʻi brand, I think it's important to include and pay my respects to things that are directly a part of Hawaiʻi. I have a lot of love and appreciation for growing up here, and I want to make sure that I do my part to respect the land and culture. I love seeing brands include a variety of unique species in their work, and I felt motivated to do so as well!
I took art at Baldwin High School with Mrs. Jan Sato, and I remember drawing naupaka plants while we learned about contour drawings. She was a wonderful art teacher, but the life lessons she would tie in were equally as memorable. During this particular lesson, she asked how many of us knew the legend of naupaka. When not many students raised their hands, she told the story of Naupaka and Kaui, who were lovers separated to the mountains and sea by the jealousy of Pele. From their separation came naupaka kuahiwi and naupaka kahakai, half-flowers near the mountain and ocean, representing their love and tragic separation. After the story, she pointed to the irony that many kids who grow up here say they love Hawaiʻi, but don’t know much about the place they call home. Some of these kids then go off to college on the mainland and talk about how much they love Hawaiʻi. The lesson stuck with me and made me always want to do my research and show my respect for the place by representing it well.
Learn more about the plants I show in this collection below!
Note: Almost all of the plants chosen for this collection are native to Hawaiʻi! For the native plants, I distinguish between endemic and indigenous: Endemic = native to a specific area, Indigenous = native to a region or surrounding area.

  • ʻŌhiʻa lehua

    • Endemic
    • Comprises 80% of Hawaiʻi's native forests
    • Traditional uses: hula, kapa, weapons, medicine
    • Key for watershed protection and grows quickly after lava flow

  • ʻIlima

    • Indigenous
    • Flower of Oʻahu
    • Traditional uses: lei, medicine
    • Found as short shrub, can survive in drought, wind, salt, and various soil environments

  • Maile

    • Endemic
    • Fragrant vine, but at times appears more shrub-like
    • Traditional uses: bird catching, medicine, kapa; now used commercially for lei
    • Found in dry and moderately moist forests on all islands except Kahoʻolawe and Niʻihau

  • Pua Kala

    • Endemic
    • Only poppy native to Hawaiʻi
    • Traditional uses: medicinal (carefully, because it is toxic!)
    • One of the few native plants that can survive fires and re-appear quickly after a burn

  • Paʻu O Hiʻiaka

    • Endemic
    • "The Skirt of Hiʻiaka" - based on story of Hiʻiaka waiting for Pele as she was surfing. Hiʻiaka falls asleep, and vine protects her from the sun.
    • Traditional uses: medicinal, braided fiber material
    • Found in rocky, coastal areas

  • Pōhinahina

    • Indigenous
    • Shrubby, hardy, easy to care for. Small (0.5-1") flowers!
    • Traditional uses: kapa, repelling insects, lei
    • Inspired by lots of pōhinahina in my new neighborhood!

  • Naupaka

    • Indigenous (Kahakai), Endemic (Kuahiwi)
    • 2 types: Naupaka Kahakai (often found near ocean), Naupaka Kuahiwi (often found near mountains)
    • 2 halves - Legend of the Naupaka
    • Traditional uses: food, lei, medicine

  • Kou

    • Indigenous
    • Medium to large tree, speckled with orange blooms
    • Traditional uses: wood, shade, dye, lei, medicinal
    • Kou was once thought to be introduced, but fossils on Kauaʻi predating Hawaiian arrival proved it is indigenous!

  • Pōhuehue

    • Indigenous
    • Beach morning glory! Found on sandy, coastal areas
    • Traditional uses: medicinal, cordage, famine food
    • Also provides erosion control!

  • Kokiʻo keʻokeʻo

    • Endemic
    • There are 6 native species of hibiscus, but only one is endemic! And one of 2 native white hibiscuses in the world with native flowers
    • Traditional uses: medicinal, cordage
    • Endangered!

  • Hau

    • Polynesian-introduced, "canoe plant"
    • Color-changing flowers: from yellow to pink to darker red. There was a large hau bush near where I used to live in Nuʻuanu, and it was the inspiration for this design!
    • Traditional uses: wood, fishing, fire-making, cordage
    • It was so highly valued that permission to cut was required by the village chief!

  • Koʻoloaʻula

    • Endemic
    • Silvery-green leaves, and hidden upside-down red flowers!
    • Traditional uses: medicinal, lei
    • Previously found near Kapolei Parkway, close to where I live now!
    • Endangered!

Sources:

  • Native Plants Hawaiʻi
  • Hui kū Maoli Ola
  • Department of Land and Natural Resources: Division of Forestry and Wildlife
  • Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawaiʻi
  • Maui Native Nursery