Pareo Print Story

Part shaggy dog tale, part historical mystery, this print took us two years to solve.

Retro floral Hawaiian fabric with pink and peach flowers on an orange background

what is this print?

pareo

Pareus are large pieces of fabric used as a unisex clothing in Tahiti and other parts of Polynesia. Before European contact, pareus were made out of kapa/tapa, a barkcloth fabric. Pareu also refers to a type of simplified, knocked out floral print. So, a pareu can be a wrap or a print, or both things at once. They are closely identified with Tahiti but can also be used to represent Polynesian-ness.

inspiration

Woman wearing floral Tahitian dress and flower crown, traditional Polynesian attire

In the 1700s European traders brought pareu print cotton cloth as trade goods to the Tahitian islands and other parts of Polynesia.

The origin of the prints themselves is not completely clear. It is probable that these prints were developed specifically for trade in the Pacific and manufactured in England and France.

Our beloved pareo print works in all types of sizes in colorways. This print took us two years to develop from an early 20th century Tahitian postcard.

The eureka moment came when we realized it was probably a resist print created with paper and scissors instead of painted on with a brush.

pareo print

Sleeveless teal muumuu dress with bold ocean-inspired floral and polka dot print

Mini Mu'u in Jumbo Pareo

$225.00

Sold out

Woman wearing teal modern muumuu dress with bold Hawaiian floral and polka dot print

Emilie Pareo Jumbo Ocean

$365.00

Sold out

Woman in a modern muumuu dress with large red and white floral print on stairs, mid-century interior

Origami Dress jumbo pareo

$595.00

Navy and white pareo-style dress with bold oversized floral Hawaiian print on mannequin

Emilie Pareo Jumbo Navy

$365.00

Save $107.00

Red Hawaiian aloha shirt with cream floral and dot print on dress form

Aloha Shirt Pareo

$180.00

$287.00

Woman in a red and white polka dot muumuu dress standing indoors by tropical mural

Bib Dress pareo

$386.00

Save $50.00

Green and white floral pareo wrap displayed on a dress form with bold Hawaiian print.

Pareo/Wrap in Pareo Print

$75.00

$125.00

View all

Collage showing Hawaiian floral print design process, sketches, vintage photos, and bold patterns.

our process

Our prints are concept driven and development may span several years. We build hardworking repeats and take no design shortcuts. We love prints and print history and embrace a research heavy, somewhat academic process.

in the wild

Woman in a yellow modern mu'umu'u dress with floral Hawaiian print crossing a city street

Woman in red and white muumuu dress poses indoors on wooden cabinet, tropical mural behind

Three women wearing modern mu'umu'u dresses with Hawaiian prints sitting on grass outdoors

all our prints

mango

rainbow

sunrise

Chestnut brown fabric swatch with bold black and teal Hawaiian floral print on dress form

1961

Colorful silk scarf with mosaic tile print draped on dress form, modern wearable art

disco

Black and white abstract print fabric swatch draped on dress form

westbeth

and now...

some history

Group of people in colorful Hawaiian print mu'umu'u dresses with tropical decor

why are the prints so big?

Large scale prints are integral to muʻumuʻu and all aloha wear. How did this happen? There are a lot of apocryphal origin stories. One we particularly like is that Wong’s Drapery Shoppe helped create the aloha shirt for college bound Hawaiians going to the mainland. The students needed something both warm and that felt Hawaiian. Wong’s initially used thick Japanese upholstery fabric for the warmth so the large print scale became locked in as “Hawaiian.”

These prints represent the multicultural history of Hawaiʻi. They may refer to Japanese Kimono fabrics, European chintz florals, Indian paisleys, Indonesian batiks, and traditional kapa patterns. They may be designed “authentically” by a native Hawaiian, a kamaʻāina (a local), or a transplant to the islands. The authenticity comes from the knowledge, sense, and respect of place.

Elsie Das

In the 1930s and 40s there was a concerted effort to create the modern Hawaiian print using local themes. This has been much lauded in Alfred Shaheen’s work. Also consider Elsie Das. Elsie Das was an American of Danish descent who went to art school in California. In 1950, the Honolulu Advertiser wrote “Elsie Das can lay close claim to being the originator of the aloha print.”

Her approach to print shows a sophistication and a worldliness at odds with the stereotypes about “isolated” Hawaiʻi. Compare her ulu print with the great 20th century print designer Josef Frank. The similarities indicate a deep understanding of print design and trends at the time.

Vintage Hawaiian shirt and dress with colorful tropical fruit and floral prints

Left: Elsie Das “Breadfruit,” Right: Josef Frank “Hawaii”

For more read: The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands, Dale Hope and Elsie Jensen Das, Peter Young.