deconstructing aloha

le'ale'a

being an eco-conscious girl, i love to see the different ways other people are making less of an impact on the earth (you know the whole reduce-reuse-recycle triangle), so i am loving the blossoming movement of designers deconstructing vintage hawaiian fabric and transforming them into new pieces.

meleana is one of the designers making her mark in the world of handbags. the style makers in her adopted home of nyc have been giving her lots of buzz this year and so far meleana's creations have been featured in lucky magazine and daily candy.

what's really cool is that you get to semi-customize the bag by mixing styles and patterns until you find the perfect one. the result is a modern meets vintage bag that says aloha to everyone you walk by.

25% off malie kauai

every bargain hunter knows that you need to hop on a good deal straight away since you never know when it will vanish into the ether. if you have always wanted to try something from malie kaua'i, hawaii's very own ooh-la-la spa line, then get yourself over to daily candy deals to score 25% off your order.

stock up on goodies like the recently introduced aloha ambiance, malie's very own reed diffuser in tempting scents like pikake & gardenia. and, since the odds are slim to none that you'll ever get a ticket to one of oprah's favorite things shows, don't forget to pick up one of their luscious mango butter buns while you're at it.

a peek into hawaii's hidden archipelago

 

a few months ago, i had a chance to watch jean-michel cousteau's documentary, voyage to kure, which explored the rarely seen northwestern hawaiian islands. it's a journey that most of us will never have the opportunity to make, and, quite honestly, that's probably a good thing for all the endangered creatures that call this part of the world home.

you can get a glimpse of these rare specimans in archipelago, the latest book from photographers' david liittschwager & susan middleton. you will be amazed at what they found and their stunning photographs reinforce just how important it is for each and every one of us to do our part for the environment.

if you really don't think this matters, let me tell you how disheartening it was to see the animals that
died from ingesting all the plastic crap that clueless people continue to litter across the earth, as well as the tons of fishing nets that volunteers gathered up from the ocean in just one day.

bet you didn't know that this part of hawaii is like a whirlpool gathering up all the stuff that people, as far as thousands of miles away, have tossed into the ocean eventually finding its way into the ecosystem to the unsuspecting wildlife who make all this man-made stuff their next meal.

alrighty, off my soapbox. if you're intrigued you may also want to add remains of a rainbow, another book from l+m featuring rare plants of hawaii, to your book list.

photographs from archipelago are currently on exhibit at the kauai museum until oct 15th.

hawaii fashion plates

super cyclone + rock-n-road cd holder

before you toss your rainbow license plate (because, of course, you would never trash the coveted king kamehameha design), see how little earth transforms old plates into cool accessories like purses, wine totes and photo albums.

all 50 states are represented so you can take your favorite state with you wherever you go.

oaks hawaii

if your inner bohemian is ready to break out this summer take a look at the latest collection from oaks hawaii. oaks deconstructs castoffs like vintage silk scarves and camisoles and reinvents them into fresh wearable pieces.

the line launched in 2004 and since then artist-turned-designer roberta oaks has gained a loyal following & lots of buzz for her eco-chic creations.