Kahana Designs

Quiver of surfboards Hawaiian t-shirt, Hawaii surf and action sports apparel
Hawaii Surf & Action Sports Shirts: Wear the Ocean Life
A guide to Hawaii surf and action sports shirts — surfing, paddling, diving, SUP and more, the island’s ocean-sport culture, and the newest active designs from our studio. Read more...
Oʻahu Hawaiian t-shirt celebrating the Gathering Place, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Oʻahu T-Shirts: The Gathering Place, Worn
A guide to Oʻahu t-shirts — the surf breaks, landmarks, and city-and-country contrasts of the Gathering Place worth wearing, from Pipeline to Diamond Head, plus the newest designs. Read more...
Kilauea Volcano Hawaiian t-shirt celebrating Hawaiʻi Island, the Big Island
Big Island T-Shirts: From Volcanoes to the Stars
A guide to Big Island t-shirts — the volcanoes, summits, and coffee country of Hawaiʻi Island worth wearing, from Kīlauea to Mauna Kea, plus the newest Big Island designs. Read more...
Maui No Ka Oi Hawaiian t-shirt celebrating the Valley Isle, Maui, Hawaiʻi
Maui T-Shirts: Wear the Valley Isle
A guide to Maui t-shirts — the places, sayings, and icons of the Valley Isle worth wearing, from Lahaina’s banyan to Haleakalā sunrise, plus the newest Maui designs. Read more...
Niho manō shark-tooth kākau armband design, traditional Hawaiian tattoo art
Kākau Art: The Meaning Behind Hawaiian Tattoo Designs
A guide to kākau, traditional Hawaiian tattoo art — the meaning of motifs like niho manō, the story behind the geometry, and wearable designs that honor the tradition. Read more...
Kiʻi face carved akua design, Hawaiian mythology art from Kahana Designs
Hawaiian Mythology: Gods, Guardians & the Stories of the Islands
An introduction to Hawaiian mythology — the four great gods, demigods like Māui, guardian ʻaumakua, and the akua whose stories shape island life, plus designs that honor them. Read more...
Hawaii Keiki Love family t-shirt celebrating ʻohana, Hawaiian family and aloha
Ohana & Family in Hawaiʻi: The Meaning of Family, Worn with Aloha
What ohana really means in Hawaiian culture, why family is at the heart of island life, and how Hawaiian family shirts let your ʻohana celebrate that bond together. Read more...
Hawaiian green sea turtle (honu) gliding over a reef, Hawaiian ocean wildlife art
Hawaiian Ocean Wildlife: Honu, Whales, Dolphins & More
A guide to Hawaiian ocean wildlife — the honu, humpback whales, spinner dolphins, monk seals, and reef life of the islands, why they matter, and how to view them respectfully. Read more...
Brah Hawaii local slang t-shirt, celebrating Hawaiian phrases and Pidgin
Hawaiian Phrases & Slang: Talk Story Like a Local
A friendly guide to Hawaiian phrases and slang — the Pidgin words, aloha-spirit sayings, and local-kine vocabulary you’ll hear around the islands, and what each one really means. Read more...
Handwoven Hawaiian lauhala earrings wrapped in gold, made by Kahana Designs in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian Lauhala Jewelry: The Handwoven Craft of the Islands
A guide to Hawaiian lauhala jewelry — what lauhala is, how these handwoven earrings and cuffs are made, the meaning behind the craft, and how to care for your pieces. Read more...
Volcano lava flow Hawaiian coffee mug, a black glossy ceramic Hawaii mug
Hawaiian Coffee Mugs: Island Mornings, One Cup at a Time
A guide to Hawaiian coffee mugs — the island morning ritual, the designs to collect, pairing your mug with Kona coffee, gift ideas, and how to care for ceramic Hawaii... Read more...
Hawaiian Islands pictorial map Hawaii poster, a vintage-style Hawaii travel print
Hawaii Posters: Vintage-Style Travel Prints for Island Lovers
A guide to Hawaii posters — the vintage Hawaiian travel-poster tradition, the art styles in our collection, how to frame and hang them, and how to build an island-inspired gallery... Read more...
Hawaiian canvas wall art of Tunnels Beach, Kauaʻi, displayed as Hawaii wall decor in a home
Hawaii Wall Art: A Guide to Hawaiian Canvas Prints for Your Home
A guide to Hawaii wall art — how to choose Hawaiian canvas prints, decorate room by room, pick the right size, and bring the colors of the islands home with... Read more...
Kahana Designs Hawaiian aloha t-shirt, a Hawaii t-shirt printed with original island artwork
Hawaii T-Shirts: The Complete Guide to Authentic Hawaiian Tees
Everything to know about Hawaii t-shirts — what makes a Hawaiian tee authentic, what the designs mean, how to style them, and where to find original island designs from a... Read more...
An octopus, the kinolau (body form) of Kanaloa, resting on the ocean floor in the blue waters of Hawaiʻi
Kanaloa: Hawaiian God of the Ocean
Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean, rules the deep sea and the winds of the open Pacific. Meet the akua whose body form is the octopus and whose realm... Read more...
An authentic Hawaiian quilt with a single large symmetrical breadfruit-and-fern appliqué design in coral red on cream, echo-quilted in rippling lines
Hawaiian Quilts: The History and Meaning of an Island Art Form
How a borrowed craft became a deeply Hawaiian art form — the history, the symbolism in the patterns, and why an island quilt is never just a blanket. Read more...
Carved wooden kiʻi (tiki figure) of Kū, the Hawaiian god of war and prosperity, at the Bishop Museum in Hawaiʻi
Kū: Hawaiian God of War and Prosperity
Meet Kū, the Hawaiian god of war and prosperity — one of the four great akua. Learn his many forms, his role in old Hawaiʻi, and how his mana endures... Read more...
New arrivals at Kahana Designs — folded apparel flat lay
New This Week at Kahana Designs — June 29
86 new Hawaiʻi art prints landed this week — hand-finished digital oil paintings of Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Big Island landscapes. Browse the new arrivals. Read more...
Friends laughing and talking story together outdoors
Hawaiian Slang Words You'll Hear
A friendly guide to the Hawaiian slang words you'll hear in the islands — brah, talk story, ono, da kine and more — and what each one really means. Read more...
Hand-turned koa wood bowls, traditional Hawaiian woodcraft
Koa Wood: Why Hawaiʻi's Native Hardwood Is So Treasured
Koa is the only place-bound hardwood in the Pacific — endemic to Hawaiʻi, once reserved for chiefs, and the wood that built the voyaging canoes. Here's why it's so treasured. Read more...
A hand making the shaka sign over the ocean in Hawaiʻi
What Does Shaka Mean?
What does shaka mean? Learn the meaning, history, and aloha spirit behind Hawaiʻi's famous hand sign — and how to throw one the right way. Read more...
A bold Polynesian-style tattoo on a forearm, in the kakau tradition
Kākau: The Meaning Behind Traditional Hawaiian Tattoo Designs
Kākau is traditional Hawaiian tattooing, hand-tapped into the skin to record genealogy, rank, and protection. Here's what the patterns mean and how the practice of uhi was revived. Read more...
A person wearing a Hawaiian flower lei, a gesture of aloha and mahalo
How to Say Thank You in Hawaiian (Mahalo)
Wondering how to say thank you in Hawaiian? Learn what mahalo means, how to pronounce it, and how to say mahalo nui loa — thank you very much — the... Read more...
People talking story together at a table
Hawaiian Pidgin Phrases, Explained
A friendly guide to Hawaiian Pidgin phrases — what they mean, where they come from, and how to use them with aloha. Learn da kine, brah, ono grindz, and more. Read more...

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