Courier Corporation of Hawaii's new uniforms

An island based company with over 20 years of worldwide service over land,sea and ground,Courier Corporation of Hawaii, commissioned my studio to design their new uniform print.

Under the hand painted motifs,inspired by the Polynesian Triangle cultures, there are 2 layers of hand block printed textures.

Hawaiian Airlines pilot wearing Kahala Sportswear t-shirt

Andrew Corrie was attending a Windward Oahu Christmas event wearing the retro Surf Rider. He's originally from United Kingdom, a surfer and father of 2 daughters.

Dale Hope and Donna Fitch were directors for artwork.

Surfers on silk Kendall Jackson Aloha Shirt

While I was walking across a Sonoma County, California parking lot earlier today I saw James J. Cutcher wearing this Aloha Shirt. He stopped for a few minutes to talk to me about Pepi Wine,owned by Kendall Jackson, the company that this print was commissioned for.

James is a certified wine educator/sommelier for Jackson Family Wines.

He owns several of these Aloha Shirts. It's nice to know that he will be wearing this print for years to come!

Two very creative people, Mia Morelli and Laura Lee , from Pepi Wine/Kendall Jackson , collaborated with me on the design. 

Island Traditions of Hawaii manufactured the shirt.

Stand Up Paddle Boards

Dale Hope commissioned my studio to create an ocean themed Mid Century Modern piece soon to be in production  for Tropical Blends, a Hawaiian surf and stand up board manufacturer. Once the design team has the art, they "clean up" & resize the hand block printed images for the boards.

HILUXURY magazine April/May 2011 "Prints Charming The Art of Textile Design Revisited"

 Nadine Kam included my work in her  HILUXURY magazine article,"Prints Charming: The Art of Textile Design Revisited"

A portion of article:


"Gentlemen about town should feel honored(as opposed to violated) when Emma Jewell Howard whips out her camera and snaps a frame with them square in the middle. She's no pesky paparazzi: she's merely interested in your shirt...

"...companies such as Patagonia,Kendall Jackson,Anheuser Busch and Maui Jim. She has designed uniforms for Hawaiian Airlines and the City and County of Honolulu."

"...I like functional art.."

"...One of her designs,created for Kahala,will get prominent display when Alexander Payne's feature film The Descendents premiers. Star George Clooney will be wearing "Skills" design,which utilizes 22 hand -carved images of surfers,paddlers and fishermen. The design took 6 months to create."

"...Howard also likes the sense of history that goes into researching the images in her work,whether they are constellations in the sky or symbolism of cultural images..."

" If these two artists continue getting their work on the streets, we won’t have to worry about people forgetting Hawai’i."

Mahalo Nui Loa, Nadine Kam, for contacting me & writing such a special piece on the textile industry in the Hawaiian Islands!

Older Kahala Sportswear Aloha Shirt seen in San Francisco bay area

Robert Intersimone,real estate agent and background actor in Mumford seen wearing this Aloha Shirt in Sonoma County, California.

Today a friend  was asking about my work ,prompting Robert to unzip his jacket to show us his aloha shirt. It looked so familiar. Yes, it was designed in my  Kailua studio! Just a few hours ago I took this photograph.

Small feature: Hawaii Insider San Francisco Chronicle

"...and textile designer Emma Howard of Kailua, who cited Peter Buck's "Vikings of the Pacific" in her answer to explain how it got its English name: "The island was first sighted by the Dutch navigator, Roggeveen, on Easter Sunday, 1722."

"...The creator of images seen on many aloha shirt uniforms in Hawai'i, including The Bus on O'ahu, Howard added, "The Polynesian Triangle, of which Easter Island is in the eastern corner, is the main source of motifs for my textile designs." (Check out her blog to see some of her recent work."

Jeanne Cooper,writer, San Francisco Chronicle "Hawaii Insider"

Anthurium flowers on cotton Aloha Shirt

An older medium sized Aloha Shirt , 22" wide, just hung on my studio door to help visualize the design currently in process for client's new shirt.

This print was commissioned from my studio by Dale Hope at Kahala Sportswear several years ago. Donna Fitch was Kahala Sportswear's  Director of Merchandising.

I found this at the Kailua Salvation Army store.
 

12' wide Folding screen for a commissioned Oahu project

Hawaiian Words across top of panels: Nani Le' ahi ni maka no Kahiki,
English Translation: Beautiful Diamond Head,a thing for those from afar
A vintage Japanese folding screen found in a Honolulu antique store leaning against the wall covered with paper,torn in every panel.
Paper hinges replaced with brass double action hinges.
Repairs made to torn paper.
Acrylic paints
Grass cloth wall paper covered back of each panel.
Motifs:
Diamond Head with Moon
Bird of Paradise
Banana Plants
coconut palm trees
Monstera
Hawaiian words
Gracie,Jack Russell/Beagle, who was always on the scene in Kailua Studio

Hope for Man art exhibit Green Room Hawaii

GreenRoom  Hawaii 

 “HOPE” exhibit of Dale Hope's vintage aloha shirts designed under HRH brand,now "Hope for Man" label includes photographs and prints taken from a series of 6 including surfers and canoes with paddlers. Each shirt features it's own story on a one of a kind hang tag and  a hand block printed surfer on white fabric rectangle on the  back near collar.

The exhibit lasts until November 21,2010.

I bought a beautiful old piece of wide ( 2'x6') piece of redwood from ReUse Hawaii's stock of wood taken from an old house in Manoa Valley, Honolulu that was being torn down.I had to balance the wood on top of my bicycle and walk  from ReUse Hawaii to my Waikiki Studio. This was before I bought my great surf rack for the bike. The linoleum blocks were mounted on this redwood. I also used pure Frankencense essential oil on the back of the wooden blocks. Used a hand saw to cut the pieces out on studio lanai with a coconut palm tree close by.

Many weeks of emailed communication with Dale Hope resulted in these 6 blocks that went through revisions.

I'll post more images of his shirts next time.

Thank you!

Emma

Tom Ogawa in Kahala Sportswear Aloha Shirt designed in my Kailua Studio

Francis "Coach" Silva,City & County of Honolulu Handi-Van driver

Walking down King Street this morning I stopped to talk to Honolulu resident Francis "Coach" Silva whose  Handi-Van was parked on street.He  coaches weight lifters and Pop Warner Football on Oahu.A friendly man who took a minute to talk to me!