The must-visit Aloha shirt shop in Honolulu

In late 2019, I was in Hawaii on assignment as a travel editor. I didn’t have much free time on my itinerary but I had heard about this incredible Aloha shirt shop and was determined to squeeze a visit into my schedule – I’m so glad that I did!

Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts stocks the world’s largest collection of Aloha shirts with more than 15,000 to choose from. The store was founded in 1980 by David and Bari-Ellen Bailey.

Not only is it absolutely packed to the rafters with Aloha shirts, for men, women and children, but there are also vintage Hawaiian dresses, fabrics and bric-a-brac spread across two large rooms.

The store is located at 517 Kapahulu Ave Honolulu, just inland at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki. I walked there from my beachfront hotel at Waikiki and it took about 30 minutes, which I enjoyed as it gave me the chance to view some fabulous mid-century architecture and apartment blocks on the way. You could easily take the short Uber or Taxi ride there too if you prefer to give you even more browsing time, which you will need!

If I’d had more time, and more luggage space, I could have honestly gone nuts here. The store stocks original vintage shirts as well as modern reproductions. The most precious, original pieces are stored well out of reach and hanging high. Some pieces fetch for as much as US$4,000. I spotted an incredible Alfred Shaheen ladies dress selling for approximately $500.

The history of Aloha shirts

The origin of aloha shirts can be traced to the 1920s or the early 1930s. At that time, the Honolulu-based dry goods store named Musa-Shiya the Shirtmaker, run by Japanese merchant Kōichirō Miyamoto, started making shirts out of colourful Japanese prints.

Other sources claim they were first created by Chinese merchant Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods in the 1930s. This claim has been described as myth, however Chun may have been the first to mass-produce and stock off-the-shelf shirts.

The term aloha shirt first appeared in print in an advertisement for Musa-Shiya in the June 28, 1935 issue of The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper, although Chun may have coined the phrase as it is reported his store carried the sign ‘aloha shirts’ as early as 1933.

The term ‘aloha sportswear’ was registered as a trademark by Chun’s company in 1936, while Chun trademarked ‘Aloha Shirt’ in 1937, owning the rights to this phrase until 1957.

Soon, aloha shirts were produced in large quantities, mostly by two prominent manufacturers of this period, Kamehameha and Branfleet (later Kahala), both founded in 1936.

The boom of aloha shirts and the ‘golden era’ was considered to be after WWII and into the 1950s, when servicemen and women returned to the US from Asia and the Pacific Islands with aloha shirts made in the 1930s.

Alfred Shaheen, who began his textile business in 1948, is credited with popularising the aloha shirt. After Hawaii became the 50th US state in 1959, Shaheen gained attention for producing higher quality and more chic aloha shirts, a departure from some of the tackier styles that had emerged . One of Shaheen’s shirts was worn by Elvis Presley on the cover of Blue Hawaii in 1961.

Other prominent producers included Tori Richard, from 1956 and Rein Spooner (first labelled Spooner’s of Waikiki) from 1956.

Katrina Holden

As a child, I wrote short stories, poetry and daydreamed about visiting exotic destinations dressed like a 1960s film star. I was able to realise some of my dreams over my career spanning more than 20 years in Australian publishing, working as the editor of Luxury Travel magazine, Vacations & Travel magazine and as editor of several drinks magazines. As a freelance writer, I've scribed for The Australian newspaper, T Magazine Australia (The New York Times), Escape (The Daily Telegraph), Delicious, Travel + Leisure Asia, Wine Selector, Wine Companion, Holidays with Kids and more. I founded Vintage Travel Kat in 2020, inspired to share stories of vintage-related travel, fashion and lifestyle with a fellow vintage-vibe tribe.

The must-visit Aloha shirt shop in Honolulu

The history of Aloha shirts

Katrina Holden

Katrina Holden

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