I knew I wanted to create a towel featuring a Hawaiian quilt design. I’ve always loved the clean, two-color contrast of the symmetrical patterns. They feel so traditional yet modern at the same time. It is an absolutely timeless look!

At first, I sketched out a naupaka flower design, but ultimately felt it looked a little too busy. I decided to table the naupaka for a future project and instead opted for something simple and unisex: a classic, elongated ʻUlu design.

Selecting the color for the initial run was probably the hardest part. I texted numerous family members and friends to get their preferences. Pink? Green? Brown? Black? Blue? Purple? The responses were all over the place. I personally liked the pink, but I worried it might exclude men.

It wasn't until my genius sis-in-law (once again!) suggested a KS blue design. Since one of my children attends the school and is in a water sport, I thought it was the perfect color scheme to start with.

Originally, I planned to have two colors on the front and the inverse on the reverse side (blue and white). However, a friend gave me some critical feedback: "I generally don't like white towels because they get dirty." While I use white towels at home, I had to agree with her point. These towels are designed to be used anywhere. Plus, to me, when large white spaces are printed on microfiber, it can look unfinished. That is why I decided to pivot and incorporate yet another timeless and classic pattern... the palaka.

I plan to release more colorways of this design in the future. Can't wait!