Kahana Designs

The Big Island in 5 Days: Volcanoes to Beaches
A 5-day Big Island itinerary from active volcanoes to black- and green-sand beaches, plus Kona coffee, Mauna Kea stargazing, and tips from our Native Hawaiian–owned studio. Read more...
Kauaʻi for First-Timers: The Garden Isle Guide
A Kauaʻi travel guide for first-timers: the best beaches, hikes, towns, and tips for visiting the Garden Isle, Hawaiʻi's oldest and greenest island. Read more...
New This Week at Kahana Designs — June 1
Dozens of fresh Hawaiian designs dropped this week — new island tees across every theme, plus a big wave of digital oil-painting posters spanning beaches, wildlife, and akua. Browse the new arrivals from our Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona. Read more...
Oʻahu Travel Guide: Beaches, Hikes & Local Eats
A friendly Oʻahu travel guide to the island's best beaches, hikes, and local eats — from Waikīkī and the North Shore to Diamond Head and plate lunch. Read more...
15 Best Things to Do on Maui
Looking for the best things to do in Maui? Our island guide covers Haleakalā sunrises, the Road to Hāna, snorkeling, Lahaina, and more from a Native Hawaiian–owned studio. Read more...
Lono: Hawaiian god of peace, rain, and the Makahiki harvest
Meet Lono — the Hawaiian akua of agriculture, rain, and peace whose return each year began the Makahiki, a four-month season of harvest, rest, and games. Plus a look at the new art and tees just added to the Kahana Designs shop. Read more...
Yellow Hawaiian hibiscus, the state flower of Hawaiʻi, printed on a black cotton tee
Hibiscus: the state flower of Hawaiʻi and its story
The Hawaiian hibiscus is the flower the world pictures as the islands — but Hawaiʻi's true state flower is the rare native yellow maʻo hau hele. Read more...
Hawaiian Pele volcano goddess canvas wall art evoking the living landscape of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Kīlauea
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: a guide to Kīlauea
A warm guide to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Kīlauea — Pele's home — covering what to see, when to go, and how to visit with respect. Read more...
Maui Road to Hāna canvas wall art showing a rainforest waterfall pouring into a still pool
The Road to Hāna: planning the perfect Maui drive
A calm, practical guide to the Road to Hāna — when to leave, the stops worth your time, bridge etiquette, and what waits past the town on Maui. Read more...
Place-based Hawaiian tee in the spirit of the classic aloha shirt, worn for a modern Aloha Friday
Aloha Friday and the rise of the Hawaiian aloha shirt
How Aloha Friday gave the aloha shirt its weekly stage in Honolulu — and how a plantation-era garment became Hawaiʻi's enduring uniform. Read more...
Haleakalā crater at sunrise — a volcanic Maui landscape shaped by how the Hawaiian Islands formed
How the Hawaiian Islands formed: the Pacific hotspot
How the Hawaiian Islands formed: a Pacific hotspot, a slow-moving plate, and a chain of volcanoes stretching across the deep ocean floor. Read more...
Hawaiian monk seal swimming through clear blue water on a giclée canvas print
The Hawaiian monk seal: an endangered beach dweller
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the rarest mammals on earth — meet ʻīlioholoikauaua, the endangered beach dweller found nowhere else but Hawaiʻi. Read more...
The demigod Māui standing atop Haleakalā with a rope raised toward the rising sun, Hawaiian mythology canvas wall art
Māui the demigod: how he slowed the sun in Hawaiʻi
How the demigod Māui climbed Haleakalā at dawn and lassoed the sun to give Hawaiʻi longer days — the legend, the place, and what it means today. Read more...
Hula instruments illustrated on a black tee, a visual gateway to the history of hula and its sacred percussion
The history of hula: sacred rite to performance art
The history of hula reaches from sacred Hawaiian ritual to a living art form. Discover its mythic origins, kahiko and ʻauana styles, and revival. Read more...
Hawaiian canvas of the demigod Māui, a figure central to many common Hawaiian words and stories.
Common Hawaiian words you already know, and what they mean
A guided tour of common Hawaiian words — aloha, mahalo, ʻohana, pono, mana — what they really mean, and the worldview waiting underneath them. Read more...
Hawaiian humpback whale canvas wall art evoking the channels around Molokaʻi, the most Hawaiian island in the chain
Molokaʻi: the most Hawaiian island and how to visit
Molokaʻi is often called the most Hawaiian island. A slow look at Hālawa Valley, the world's tallest sea cliffs, Kalaupapa, and how to visit with respect. Read more...
A Kahana Designs tee design honoring the Nā Pali Coast, Kauaʻi's sacred sea cliffs
The Nā Pali Coast: Kauaʻi's wild and sacred sea cliffs
Explore the Nā Pali Coast — Kauaʻi's 17 miles of sacred sea cliffs, ancient valleys, and Hawaiian history along the Garden Isle's wild north shore. Read more...
A canvas portrait of a single Koa Ikaika warrior with feathered helmet, evoking King Kamehameha and the unifier of the Hawaiian Islands
King Kamehameha: the unifier of the Hawaiian Islands
The story of King Kamehameha, the chief from Kohala who unified the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom — and the world he left behind. Read more...
Hawaiian Lono god canvas showing taro and harvest imagery, evoking poi as the staple food of ancient Hawaiʻi
Poi: the staple food at the heart of ancient Hawaiʻi
Poi is the slow-pounded kalo paste at the heart of ancient Hawaiʻi — a foundational food, sacred plant, and family tie all in a single bowl. Read more...
Honolua Bay canvas wall art capturing the kind of wave that shaped ancient Hawaiian surfing
The ancient roots of Hawaiian surfing and heʻe nalu
Discover the ancient roots of Hawaiian surfing—heʻe nalu—from sacred Polynesian origins to the lineage that still shapes the sport today. Read more...
Moonlit Waikīkī after dark with Lēʻahi rising on the horizon — Oʻahu canvas print
Waikīkī after dark: a slower, quieter side of Honolulu
Waikīkī after dark is a slower city—seawall sunsets, torchlight at the Royal Hawaiian, slack key on the back streets, and ʻIolani Palace lit at night. Read more...
Handmade double row lauhala hoop earrings with natural shell pearls
Worn Heritage: The Story of Hawaiian Lauhala Jewelry
Long before lauhala was an earring, it was a mat, a hat, a sail. A look at the story behind Hawaiian lauhala jewelry — how the weave moved from everyday... Read more...
Plumeria lei design on a Hawaiian culture tee, an emblem of the iconic flower of Hawaiian lei
Plumeria: the iconic flower behind the Hawaiian lei
Plumeria is the flower most people smell before they see. A guide to its history, varieties, and place at the heart of Hawaiian lei tradition. Read more...
Mauna Kea Poliahu snow goddess canvas wall art — Hawaiian sacred summit
Mauna Kea: Hawaiʻi's sacred summit, stars, and snow
Mauna Kea is Hawaiʻi's sacred summit — taller than Everest base to peak, home of the snow goddess Poliahu, and a working temple still alive today. Read more...
Wailea Beach Maui canvas wall art — south shore gold sand tropical print
Wailea Beach: a complete guide to Maui's south shore
Wailea Beach is Maui's gentle south-shore crescent — golden sand, calm water, and sunset views toward Molokini. A complete guide for visitors to Maui. Read more...
Hawaiian sea turtle honu canvas wall art — sacred green sea turtle of Hawaii
Honu: the sacred sea turtle of the Hawaiian Islands
Meet the honu — Hawaiʻi's sacred green sea turtle. Its place in Hawaiian tradition, where to see one, and how to share the shoreline respectfully. Read more...
Pele Hawaiian volcano goddess canvas wall art — Kīlauea fire deity
The legend of Pele: Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes
Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, is the maker of new land. A guide to her story, her journey from Kahiki, and how Hawaiians honor her today. Read more...
Hala Lauhala Hawaiian culture tee — woven leaf craft heritage shirt
What Is Lauhala? A Guide to the Sacred Hawaiian Weaving Tradition
Lauhala — the woven leaf of the Hawaiian hala tree — is one of Polynesia's oldest and most enduring crafts. Here's what lauhala is, where it comes from, and why... Read more...
Makau hook Hawaiian kakau tee — niho palaoa fishhook ancient adornment
Adorned by the Islands: The History of Jewelry in Ancient Hawaiian Culture
Long before Western explorers arrived on the Hawaiian Islands, the people of Hawaiʻi were crafting stunning ornaments from shells, bone, ivory, and feathers. Discover the deep history of jewelry in... Read more...
Lauhala Weaving: The Sacred Art That Wove Together Ancient Hawaiian Life
Lauhala Weaving: The Sacred Art That Wove Together Ancient Hawaiian Life
For centuries, lauhala weaving has been one of the most sacred and essential crafts in Hawaiian culture. Woven from the leaves of the hala tree (Pandanus tectorius), lauhala products —... Read more...