Aloha shirts are usually adorned with repeating tropical patterns. This type of respectable Aloha shirt is considered formal business and government attire in Hawaiʻi. Here, former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris holds a press conference wearing such an Aloha shirt.

The Aloha shirt, is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaiʻi, USA. It is currently the premier textile export of the Hawai‘i manufacturing industry. These shirts are printed, mostly short-sleeved, and collared. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete button-down shirt, and sometimes just down to the chest (pullover). Aloha shirts usually have a left chest pocket sewn in to make the printed pattern continuous. Aloha shirts may be worn by men or women; women's aloha shirts usually have a lower-cut, v-neck style. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Aloha shirts exported to the mainland United States and elsewhere are called Hawaiian shirts and often brilliantly colored with floral patterns or generic Polynesian motifs and are worn as casual, informal wear, and generally only by men. Polynesians settled the vast Polynesian triangle by 700AD Polynesian culture refers to the aboriginal culture of the Polynesian-speaking peoples of Polynesia and the Polynesian outliers. ...

By contrast, men's aloha shirts manufactured for local Hawaiian residents are usually adorned with traditional Hawaiian quilt designs, tapa designs, or simple floral patterns in more muted colors. Aloha shirts manufactured for local consumption are considered formal wear in business and government, and thus are regarded as equivalent to a shirt, coat, and tie (generally impractical in the warmer climate of Hawaii) in all but the most formal of settings. These shirts often are printed on the interior, resulting in the muted color on the exterior, and are called "reverse print"; this often is confused for the shirt being worn inside-out.

The related concept of "Aloha Attire" stems from the Aloha shirt. Semi-formal functions such as weddings, birthday parties, and dinners are often designated as "Aloha Attire", meaning that men wear Aloha shirts and women wear muʻumuʻu. Because Hawaiʻi tends to be more casual, it is rarely appropriate to attend such functions in full evening wear like on the mainland; instead, Aloha Attire is seen as the happy medium between excessive formality and casual wear. The muÊ»umuÊ»u (more often spelled as muumuu or mumu) is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder. ...

Missionary origins

The shirt's origins are traced back to the early years of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi upon the arrival of Congregational and Presbyterian missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands. These early Christian settlers from New England imposed strict dress codes on the native Hawaiians and forced many to wear quick-sewn shirts made of various fabrics available to the missionary seamstresses at the time. Royal Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii The Kingdom of HawaiÊ»i was established during 1795 - 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of OÊ»ahu, Maui, MolokaÊ»i, LānaÊ»i and KauaÊ»i by the chiefdom of HawaiÊ»i (or the Big Island) into... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ... The states marked in red show New England. ... Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kanaka oiwi or kanaka māoli) are the Polynesian peoples of the Hawaiian Islands who trace their ancestry back to Marquesan and possibly Tahitian settlers (starting circa 400 CE), before the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. ...

Modern Aloha shirt

A modern Aloha shirt can be adorned with fanciful designs, such as a car and palmtrees.

The modern Aloha shirt was first manufactured commercially in the early 1930s by Chinese merchant Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikĩkĭ. Chun began sewing brightly colored shirts for tourists out of old kimono fabrics he had leftover in stock. The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper was quick to coin the term Aloha shirt to describe Chun's fashionable creation. Chun trademarked the name. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun's Aloha shirt was published on June 28, 1935. Local residents, especially surfers, and tourists descended on Chun's store and bought every shirt he had. Within years, major designer labels sprung up all over Hawai'i and began manufacturing and selling Aloha shirts en masse. Image File history File linksMetadata Hawaihemd2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Hawaihemd2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... WaikÄ«kÄ« seen from the top of Diamond Head or LÄ“ahi. ... Kimono (Japanese: 着物, literally something worn, i. ... The Honolulu Advertiser is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i and has a morning circulation of 143,983 and a Sunday edition of 165,481 copies. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The popularity of the Aloha shirt boomed in the United States after World War II as major celebrities sported the Hawaiian wear. President Harry S. Truman wore Aloha shirts regularly during his tenure in the White House and in retirement. John Wayne and Duke Kahanamoku endorsed major designer labels, while Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Arthur Godfrey and Johnny Weissmuller, "Weird Al" Yankovic entertained while wearing them. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884–December 26, 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953); as Vice President, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), popularly known as The Duke, [1] was an Academy Award winning, American film actor whose career began in silent movies in the 1920s. ... Duke Kahanamoku (1915 postcard) The Big Kahuna redirects here. ... Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer. ... Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan in Tarzan and His Mate. ... Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, satirist, parodist, accordionist, and television producer. ...

Popular brand names include Tori Richard, Reyn's, and Kahala. The clothing manufacturer Tommy Bahama is increasingly popular in Hawaii, but is not a Hawaiian-based company.

External links

• Hawaii Aloha Shirt Facts by Tim Shepard
• The History of Hawaiian shirts by Linda Boynton
• Hawaiian Aloha shirts by Mo'o

See also

• Muumuu