Hamakua State of Mind
Fashion Collaboration with designer Rumi Murakami
We created a Fall 2017 menswear and womenswear collection inspired by the question "What does Fall in Hawai'i look like?" Our designs were inspired by the Hamakua coast of Hawai`i Island–lush landscapes, wide vistas and historic Japanese and Hawaiian farming communities. My textile designs used elements of nature; native Hawaiian plants from the area, local produce (Hamakua is famous for their mushrooms) and traditional Japanese folk textiles. Rumi's designs expressed a relaxed, upcountry lifestyle with billowy, modest silhouettes.
“I dreamt of large-scale bold prints influenced by traditional kimono textiles but with Big Island flavor. As I spent time on the island traversing it’s curves, I wanted to create art respecting the lands of Hamakua. I researched the agricultural history of Hamakua and the upland forests to find plants specific to this place (like Hamakua mushrooms and ʻōhiʻa) which ended up being motifs in the patterns.” – Laurie Sumiye
“I gave myself more freedom to come up with different shapes and uses. It’s not about leisure but action, like gardening and farming. It’s way more experimental, yet wearable and functional.”
– Rumi Murakami
Rumi and I talking in her studio discussing the details of how the textiles would be applied to the garments.
SHOW NOTES
Rich green hills against the ocean, big views, isolation, slowness, freedom. Grounded in earthy independence, plantation histories, Japanese simplicity and humble beginnings. Hamakua evokes these feelings and images, a place in Hawaiʻi that receives 130 inches of rainfall per year on the Big Island’s northeast coast. The collection represents an interpretation of what Fall in Hawaii means, evoking cooler weather, muddy shoes, wet grass, running to the grocery store on a rainy Saturday morning wearing a hoodie over yoga pants. Hamakua is chilly nights, damp wilderness, meandering roads, and farming as a way of life. An escape from the noise of modern life to connect with the rhythms of nature. Get your hands dirty and wander in the garden.
Collection available online at www.rumimurakami.com
Fashion Presentation at fishcake in Honolulu, Hawaii, Thursday, November 9, 2017
Clothing by Rumi MurakamiTextiles by Laurie SumiyeJewelry by Bevel Hawai‘i (Joe Pecktal)Music by Taimane GardnerPresentation by Cassie Louie Models (in order of appearance):Taimane, Maya, Amelia, Alissa, Erica, Mark, Emiko, Cindy, Valerie, Juju, BJ, Hayley, Maya, Max, Marika, BrieHair - Dayna Okuma Mau, Haugen, Teresa Kanekoa, Taryn Yamada, Chalei McKee, Shayara San NicolasMakeup - Risa Hoshino, Remy Reed, Joanna Lee, Mariah MelanieStyling - Cassie LouieVideography/Livestream - Eat Cake GalleryHost - Christina UenoSound - Eric IzumiVideo Projection Designer - Laurie SumiyeVIP Wrangler - Melanie KosakaStaging Assistants - Sheldon Sonido, Khari Saffo Seamstress - Woomi NewberryEvent Coordinator - Cassie Louie, Laurie SumiyePhotographers - Ramsey Cheng, Merci Andrews
Video by Eat Cake Gallery. Fashion Presentation by Cassie Louie. Music by Taimane Gardner.
Press
- Honolulu Magazine "Rumi Murakami’s Dreamy New Design Collab is a Match Made in Hāmākua." Feb 21, 2018
- Design Talk Hawaii radio show with Matt Gilbertson. Oct 27, 2017