It could be the most famous aloha shirt never worn.
A custom APEC design President Obama and world leaders opted not to don for the iconic delegation photo.
Some see it as a snub of Hawaii‘s work-wear standard. Others say the president simply wanted to move away from an APEC tradition that became too focused on a costume group photo. Snub or not, it’s one of the biggest buzzes from APEC so far.
The aloha shirt — a staple of men’s closets across the state, the most recognizable island fashion, an icon celebrating its 75th year this year.
“It should be a major aloha shirt moment,” said fashion writer Paula Rath.
A major aloha shirt moment came, but not in the way its admirers expected: no aloha shirt for the annual APEC leaders photo, which most years has shown all delegates in some kind of host-area attire.
At his APEC news conference, a reporter asked Obama: “Why did you get rid of the aloha shirts and the grass skirts? Are you at all concerned that it not appear you’re having party over here?”
The president laughed then replied: “I got rid of the Hawaiian shirts because I looked at pictures of some of the previous APEC meetings and some of the garb that had appeared previously, and I thought this may be a tradition that we might want to break.”
Last year’s photo in Japan also had the male leaders in dark suits and ties and a woman in a white jacket. Again this year, the delegates appeared in suitcoats and the men in ties instead of the Tori Richard custom designed shirt all had been given.
“We made 21, no more, no less,” said Josh Feldman, president of Tori Richard Ltd. “It was certainly the most expensive aloha shirt that we’ve ever made as a company partly because we had to amortize a lot of our upfront costs and fabric printing costs over such a small number of prints.”
Tori Richard covered all the costs as a gift to the leaders and APEC. The shirt won’t be for sale and the remaining fabric will not be used. So what happened that left the White-House-requested gift in the suitcase come picture day?
“I suggested to leaders, we gave them a shirt, and if they wanted to wear the shirt I promise you it would have been fine,” Obama said, “but I didn’t hear a lot of complaints about us breaking precedent on that one.”
Maybe no complaints from the leaders, but a firestorm from aloha shirt loyalists
“I was appalled,” Rath said. “What a shame. What a missed opportunity. “An aloha shirt says ‘I’m ready for work in Hawaii,” and I wish that the APEC delegates had had the opportunity to say ‘I’m in an aloha shirt and I’m ready for work in Hawaii.’ I think his message was basically he did not want people to think they were out here playing and going to the beach, but we do not play or go to the beach in our aloha shirts.”
Tori Richard says no offense taken, though they’d liked to have seen it worn.
“We took a lot of pride that we were selected to make these shirts for the world leaders,” Feldman said. “The White House had advised us all along, they weren’t sure themselves whether they would use the shirts for the iconic photo. We’re disappointed they didn’t wear them in the photo, but we’re still pretty proud of it. He flat-out said he wanted to end the tradition of the iconic photo being a costume photo. I really don’t think the president was intending to impugn the official mode of dress in the state of Hawaii.”
“I’ve been surprised by the passion that’s been expressed in the community about that statement and the decision,” Feldman adds. “The topic becomes a lightning rod for whatever other issues or grievances they might have, but we just make shirts.”
Both the designer and the fashion expert say they don’t think the president’s decision will lead to the decline of the island-inspired shirt.
“Yes they are young and hip,” Feldman said of the First Family, “But he has been pilloried for his wardrobe choices before. He’s extremely conservative in the way he dresses. Mrs. Obama is not, and a lot of first ladies have been trendsetters. He has not been noted as a trendsetter.”
“Our island men are not fickle, they will stick with their aloha shirts,” Rath said. “Women by 80 to 85 percent of the aloha shirts, and the women are not going to out buying black suits for their husbands.”
The fashion expert we spoke with says the shirt would have looked fabulous under the suitcoats.
“It can be a khaki jacket, it can be a linen jacket, it can be a summer weight wool jacket,” Rath said. “It looks fabulous, and then you’re not dealing with a tie, which honestly they’re so uncomfortable in our climate, I just don’t get it.”
Aloha shirt or not, others pointed out another thing missing.
From the time Obama stepped off Air Force One all the way to the leaders’ photo — no lei.
“I think it would have been great if they had worn a lei, that would have been a nice touch,” Feldman said, “but again the world has more important things to worry about.”
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
