When I first decided to venture into this Palaka print I found myself drawn to it. This was right before the stay at home orders were put into place and I wanted to make something comfty for Mehana to wear, and then I made Kili something to match.
Palaka prints come from the old plantation days here in Hawaii. It was Hawaii’s plaid fabric and was usually blue and white. It was then adopted by paniolos or Hawaiian cowboys and eventually became what we know Palaka as today.
When reading the history of Palaka in Hawaii...I was drawn to the fact that Palaka was the clothing people wore when it was time to build and time to relax. What started off as cheap clothing for plantation workers evolved into clothing that became part of local Hawaii culture.
