Limu Love Keiki Rash Guard

Did you know that 2022 was proclaimed as the "Year of the Limu" in Hawaii? Limu was an integral part of the traditional Hawaiian diet, was used for medicinal, religious, and cultural purposes, and plays a significant role in our freshwater and saltwater habitats. Unfortunately, many invasive species have taken over and efforts to restore native limu populations are underway.

As part of our Kakoo Collection, a portion of the sales from this collection will be donated to the Waimanalo Limu Hui, a community based group who seek to replenish the once bountiful supply of limu found in Waimanalo Bay.

I asked Under the Moon Designs to help bring this collection to life by painting limu lipoa, limu kohu, limu pakeleawaaa, and limu manauea. We focused on some popular limu for eating.

Some fun facts:

• The leafy, golden limu lipoa is known as one of the Hawaiians’ favorite eating seaweeds, used to be widespread around Oahu, including Waikiki (Read more about Limu Lipoa poa here).
• Limu Kohu is another prized seaweed for poke and is very expensive. Today it is close to extinction. (Read more about Limu Kohu here)
• Did you know Limu pakeleawaa was a favorite of Queen Liliuokalani? According to old Hawaiian Newspapers, she transplanted the limu from Lahaina to Waikiki in order to cultivate the species on Oahu (Read more about Limu Pakeleawaa here).
• Limu Manauea is a common seaweed, sometimes called ogo, and is popular for eating (Read more about Limu Manauea here).
• Limu Palahalahala is one of the most common seaweeds found in Hawaiian waters and is also called sea lettuce (Read more about Limu Palahalahala here).

Details

• Quick dry & moisture-wicking
• 4 way stretch
• 82% Recycled Polyester,  18% Spandex
• Digitally printed - rash guard may have tiny print imperfections due to the nature of the printing process

**Actual colors may vary. This is due to the fact that every computer monitor or phone has a different capability to display colors and that everyone sees these colors differently.**