The Reyn Spooner story
The year — 1956. Located on what was once a marshy taro patch adjacent to Waikiki, Ala Moana Center- the world's most successful shopping mall — welcomed its first customers. Among the retail stores opening with it- Reyn's, a traditional men's haberdashery that soon became known as "the Brooks Brothers of the Pacific."
In the early 50's, Reyn McCullough, a visionary merchant who owned and operated a successful men's wear store on California's Catalina Island, saw the growth potential the Hawaiian Islands had to offer. Statehood was imminent — so was the introduction of jet travel — and Honolulu was soon to be a short jet ride from the West Coast. So Reyn packed his family and moved to Hawaii. Within a few years, the growth of Reyn's Ala Moana and other new Hawaii locations convinced him to sell his Catalina business and concentrate his focus in the Mid-Pacific.
Enter Ruth Spooner who, in 1956 had established Spooners of Waikiki, and, with her one sewing machine operation on Waikiki Beach, was cultivating a reputation for the best 'kine' custom surf trunks in the islands. She made swimwear and shirts that Reyn designed, eventually selling him her business in 1962. Reyn set up four sewing machines in the basement of his Ala Moana store, and merging the two company names — Reyn Spooner® was born.
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Frustrated in his efforts to find and offer unique, quality swimwear and an aloha shirt dignified enough for his local customer to wear professionally and casually, Reyn determined, in 1961, that he would have to make his own. At the time, the only shirts on the market were poor fitting, loudly colored garments that were generally made out of left over muumuu fabrics —a popular item for tourists and ideal for that once in a lifetime Hawaiian luau, but hardly of the quality and look that Reyn had in mind.
In 1966 the Hawaii Fashion Guild, of which Reyn was an active member, convinced local businesses to allow aloha wear to be worn to work on what we now know as Aloha Friday. By this time, Reyn had designed a pullover, Ivy-League all cotton aloha shirt with a button-down collar that proved to be very popular. But he still wasn't satisfied with the intensity and brightness of the tropical and calico print fabrics he was using. He liked the shirts the surfers wore — the prints had become bleached out and subdued by the sun — and after experimenting with several ways to achieve the same "chambray" effect, realized that he would simply turn the floral and calico prints inside out! Cowabunga! The "reverse print" concept, now synonymous with the Reyn Spooner® name, made history.
THE TRADITION CONTINUES - Well, Aloha Friday soon became Aloha Summer and so on, until today, over forty years after the birth of Aloha Friday and the acceptance of the aloha shirt as business attire, one could say that everyday is Friday for companies in Hawaii.
Bright in color and full of vivid design, Hawaiian shirts are an immensely popular way to introduce yourself - and your clothing - at parties, the pool or the beach. They have become an international symbol of Hawaii. Although they continue to increase in popularity, Hawaiian tropical shirts are not a new trend or fad. In fact, the design of these shirts has been around for decades.
Hawaiian shirts got their start in the 1930s, when clothing manufacturers on the tropical Hawaiian islands decided to produce a cloth that had a design unique to Hawaii. Watumull's East India Store led the pack by hiring artist Elsie Das to create 15 hand-painted floral designs that were then printed onto silk. Unfortunately for the store, the designs were not supposed to be printed on heavy silk. Although the manufacturer did not print the shirts as had been requested, it turned out for the best - the heavy silk shirts became extremely popular in Hollywood. Movie stars, singers, and politicians all donned the prints. Harry Truman wore them frequently in the White House. In the movie ""From Here to Eternity,"" Montgomery Cliff, Burt Lancaster, Ernest Borgnine, and Frank Sinatra all wore Hawaiian shirts. The craze has continued on for years. Tom Selleck was always wearing Hawaiian shirts in ""Magnum PI.""
Hawaiian officials have certainly encouraged the Aloha shirt craze. In 1947, the Honolulu Board of Supervisors passed a resolution, encouraging city and county employees to wear Hawaiian shirts from June 1 to October 31 each year. Further, every Friday in Hawaii is considered Aloha Friday, when locals and tourists alike wear their favorite Hawaiian shirt or dress with pride. The islands even have an official Aloha Week, where thousands of people dress in Hawaiian pride.
Today, Hawaiian shirts continue to be a symbol of relaxation in tropical paradise. A simple lifestyle statement that by their very nature symbolize fun and a sense of carefree attitude.
Copyright 2010 Aloha Shirt Shop
