When did we first start celebrating Aloha Friday?

It’s Aloha Friday and that means Aloha attire in Hawaii. While the lightweight and colorful shirts make sense for Hawaii’s tropical climate, getting businesses into the tradition of wearing colorful patterned shirts on Fridays took some convincing. Good Morning Hawaii’s Maleko McDonnell spoke with Aloha Shirt historian Dale Hope, about the history of the Aloha Shirt and how it made it’s permanent stay on Friday’s in the state.

“The Aloha Friday thing can really be traced back to Duke Kahanamoku. In the ’40s, he went to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and said ‘Hey instead of coats and ties and suits, lets wear long sleeve aloha shirts.’ It used to be called Aloha Shirt Friday, and then in 1966, fifty years ago, it actually became Aloha Friday.” Hope added that Bill Foster, the Hawaiian Fashion guild along with a group of manufacturers promoted the effort amidst opposition from banks and other businesses that thought serious work could not be done in Aloha Attire.

Hope says the Aloha Shirts themselves date back to the 1920s when dressmakers would make shirts for their keiki from leftover printed fabrics.

View this video to see more.

http://www.kitv.com/story/32084657/when-did-we-first-start-celebrating-aloha-friday

Thank you to HONOLULU – KITV4abc ‘Island News’

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