Inventor of the Hawaiian shirt dies

The Metro.uk ^ | January 5, 2009 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

You'd be forgiven for never hearing of designer Alfred Shaheen.

Yet he inspired one of the most colourful, amusing and unforgettable styles of fashion ever known - the Hawaiian shirt.

Sadly the pioneering textile manufacturer has died at age 86, his family have confirmed.

As tourists from the US to Hawaii after World War II, many began to bring home colorful but cheesy looking shirts and sundresses that would be cause for much amusement among friends.

Shaheen began to change that in 1948 when he opened Shaheen's of Honolulu and began designing, printing and producing "aloha" shirts, dresses and other ready-to-wear clothing of better quality.

Among those seen in Shaheen-designed shirts of that era was Elvis Presley, who wore one for the cover of his 1961 soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii."

Such Shaheen originals now sell for more than £500

"Before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry. There were mom and pop stores but no real modern industry," Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University said.

By 1959, the year Hawaii became a state, he had more than 400 employees working for him and was grossing more than $4 million a year as the major player in the islands' garment industry.

[Tijeras_Slim]

They’re great for CCW too!

[SIDENET]

ALOHA.

[JoeProBono]

400 XL

[Daffynition]

Whose job is it to iron that monstrosity????

[tet68]

Where can I get some of those?
My jack Russel “Shorty” is dying to wear one,
could we get matching ones?
The babes would love us.

Book ‘em Danno!

[Daffynition]

....you betcha....

[LucyJo]

Cool dog! :-)

[Daffynition]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW ... is he headed to a Jimmy Buffett concert?

[RVN Airplane Driver]

Thank God he did that...can you imagine a world without the Hawaiian shirt? Talk about a void!

[deport]

Forget HI with regards to Obama. Did you see what Time did on their cover back in Nov.?

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20081124,00.html

[trisham]

Is it a greyhound? I love greys.

[LucyJo]

Jimmy Buffett - Cheeseburger In Paradise

:-)

[LucyJo]

Yes, it’s a greyhound...not my dog, but I think it’s a beauty!

[JoeProBono]

Say Ola to my leetle friend

[Sagamore Iams III]

[trisham]

They all are. :)

[Lucky9teen]

Ummmmm....yeah....and remember: next Friday... is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

[LucyJo]

I agree. : )

[BossLady]

LOL! I love the guayabera shirts! Not so crazy about the Hawaiian print shirts though...;)

[Daffynition]

Bleak. The world would be bleak.