Summer Reading List – The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands

Dale Hope is a second-generation Aloha shirt maker who grew up during the era when the Aloha shirt came to be recognized as a spiritual badge. He inherited his parents’ clothing business, bought and served as creative director of the legendary Kahala label, and has also worked with Patagonia on the Pataloha label. Serving as one of Hawaii’s most famous ambassadors for 75+ years, the Aloha shirt comprises a half-billion-dollar-a-year industry. In his gorgeous art book, Dale draws from interviews, media archives, and personal memorabilia to trace their history from right after the Great Depression to today, when they are enjoying a revival. Originally published in 2000, the upcoming new edition features more vintage surf world photography, an intro by Gerry Lopez, and a chapter on Patagonia’s Pataloha shirt, with a tribute to legendary surfer Rell Sunn written by Yvon Chouinard. Coinciding with the publication of the book, Patagonia releases a shirt inspired by Rell and her Aloha spirit.

Patagonia.com

Matt Titone

A goofy-footed graphic designer who hails from the first state, Delaware. After attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL then graduating from SCAD in Savannah, GA with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration, Matt moved to NYC and found work as a freelance designer and art director. In 2006 he moved west to Venice, CA where he co-founded ITAL/C Studio and now resides a bit further north in Oxnard.

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