
How the Lei Collection Started: Na Lei o Hawaiʻi
The concept of this lei was lei that were special to me and my 'ohana and quickly grew into more. Besides lei that I cherished, we also added some ...
Read moreThe Keiki Dept. is owned by Leilani, a Native Hawaiian Māmā of three. After the birth of her son, Leilani started to create locally inspired clothing and accessories that was durable enough to handle everyday play. This passion project slowly evolved as her ʻohana grew and their needs changed.
Based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, The Keiki Dept.’s mission is to share knowledge of Hawaiian culture through their products and give back to their local community. In 2020, the Keiki Dept. has donated to multiple local organizations that provide services to both keiki and ʻohana across the islands.
The concept of this lei was lei that were special to me and my 'ohana and quickly grew into more. Besides lei that I cherished, we also added some ...
Read moreMany families in Hawaiʻi throw big 1st birthday parties. We were one of them. With COVID restricting the big gatherings, we had to change our plans...
Read moreThe Keiki Dept was born shortly after the birth of Kalei. While on maternity leave I decided to learn how to sew. I started off making bibdanas for Kalei and slowly added items to my Etsy shop as he grew.
As my shop grew I invested more into it and did my first two swaddle runs! I had a shaka design and our popular shave ice design! Did you have one?
I decided to get semi-serious with this passion project and signed up for my first event in October 2016. And the rest is history!
As our shop grew...so did our 'ohana!
I started off with mostly boy/unisex designs but when we found out about Kili, I added some girl-friendly options.
We added more events and more products...to the point where my booth is overflowing!
And just like our shop continued to grow over the years our family got bigger too!