Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program Blog

The exhibition Creating Hawai‘i opened on August 21, 2009, and features aloha shirts. The precise origins of the aloha shirts are unclear, but Ellery Chun, owner of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, is believed to be the originator. Using leftover kimono fabric, Chun and his seamstress sister, Ethel Chun Lum, manufactured the first of the vibrantly-colored, floral, short-sleeved shirts. In 1936, Ellery Chun patented the name “aloha shirt.” His sister’s designs influenced and promoted the “Hawaiian” look. Ethel Chun donated the original aloha shirt designs, sketches, sample fabric, and printing blocks to the Smithsonian in 1998.

Also on display is Tom Selleck’s signature aloha shirt from the 1980′s TV detective show Magnum, P.I., as well as an inexpensive JCPenney aloha shirt which helped popularize the laid-back lifestyle to the public in the 1960s. Aloha shirts continue to be worn in Hawai‘i as uniforms on the job, in weddings, and as everyday wear, and are appreciated by tourists and people outside of Hawai‘i.

Gift of Ethel Chum Lum