Good Afternoon students; this is Dr. Cooper. Welcome to a new year of...me. Last Sunday I pondered for 37 minutes over what to write about, and whether or not I wanted it on our blog or my newspaper column. However, after a curious pilgrimage to all the local Goodwills on Saturday with Senior Class President Joshua Billups, I knew there was only one thing I could discuss with avid enthusiasm...
Hawaiian Shirts.
They are a fascinating phenomenon; Light, comfortable button-up shirts with floral designs and unique color schemes. Hawaii's number one textile export. On the islands they are considered to be formal attire, worn in the business and government sectors. My colleague Mr. Billups and his associates have an almost-absurd obsession with this clothing from paradise. Fascinated, I sought to know exactly where they came from...
It all started on June 28, 1935 when the Honolulu Advertiser printed an advertisement for "Aloha shirts" (known as Hawaiian shirts to mainlanders). They claimed the first Hawaiian shirt was sold by a Japanese immigrant named Miyamoto Koichiro around 1915. After the June 28 advertisement, Hawaiian shirts were rapidly purchased, creating a booming new market.
Hawaiian shirts were introduced to the mainland after World War II when returning veterans from the Pacific and Asia brought home the shirts from their stop in Hawaii. Beginning in the 1950s, air transportation led to an increase in tourism to the islands. This made the shirts a hot product for tourists wanting a unique piece of Hawaii.
Hawaiian Shirt Fridays
The concept of a day for people to wear Hawaiian shirts was the brainchild of Bill Foster, president of the Hawaii Fashion Guild (yes there is such a thing..). In 1966 he introduced Aloha Fridays, where every Friday workers would replace their business attire with colorful Hawaiian shirts. It was extremely popular with young adults and soon Hawaiian shirts became common in the workplace every day of the week. Eventually "Aloha Friday" spread to the mainland, where it inspired today's Causal Fridays.
In March 2014, Senior Class President Joshua Billups began a campaign to bring "Hawaiian Shirt Friday" to Spring Valley. "Well uh me and Dylan [Smith] just decided to wear Hawaiian shirts on Friday and try to start a trend. Uh that's my quote." Every Friday Pres. Billups and two to five other people don a floral shirt in support of SV's Hawaiian Shirt Fridays.
If you wish to participate in this patriotic celebration, Hawaiian shirts are available at local Goodwills at affordable prices.
Photos courtesy of: http://www.alohafunwear.com/hawaiian-shirts-gallery.html
Josh Billups
Citations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_shirt
Hawaiian Shirts.
They are a fascinating phenomenon; Light, comfortable button-up shirts with floral designs and unique color schemes. Hawaii's number one textile export. On the islands they are considered to be formal attire, worn in the business and government sectors. My colleague Mr. Billups and his associates have an almost-absurd obsession with this clothing from paradise. Fascinated, I sought to know exactly where they came from...
It all started on June 28, 1935 when the Honolulu Advertiser printed an advertisement for "Aloha shirts" (known as Hawaiian shirts to mainlanders). They claimed the first Hawaiian shirt was sold by a Japanese immigrant named Miyamoto Koichiro around 1915. After the June 28 advertisement, Hawaiian shirts were rapidly purchased, creating a booming new market.
Hawaiian shirts were introduced to the mainland after World War II when returning veterans from the Pacific and Asia brought home the shirts from their stop in Hawaii. Beginning in the 1950s, air transportation led to an increase in tourism to the islands. This made the shirts a hot product for tourists wanting a unique piece of Hawaii.
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| Pres. Billups |
Hawaiian Shirt Fridays
The concept of a day for people to wear Hawaiian shirts was the brainchild of Bill Foster, president of the Hawaii Fashion Guild (yes there is such a thing..). In 1966 he introduced Aloha Fridays, where every Friday workers would replace their business attire with colorful Hawaiian shirts. It was extremely popular with young adults and soon Hawaiian shirts became common in the workplace every day of the week. Eventually "Aloha Friday" spread to the mainland, where it inspired today's Causal Fridays.
In March 2014, Senior Class President Joshua Billups began a campaign to bring "Hawaiian Shirt Friday" to Spring Valley. "Well uh me and Dylan [Smith] just decided to wear Hawaiian shirts on Friday and try to start a trend. Uh that's my quote." Every Friday Pres. Billups and two to five other people don a floral shirt in support of SV's Hawaiian Shirt Fridays.
If you wish to participate in this patriotic celebration, Hawaiian shirts are available at local Goodwills at affordable prices.
Photos courtesy of: http://www.alohafunwear.com/hawaiian-shirts-gallery.html
Josh Billups
Citations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_shirt
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