Fall Fashion: 5 Local Hawai‘i Artists, Designers and Business Owners Wear the Newest Trends

This year, the fashion world is focusing on stories of hope, happiness and the return of bubble hems. Following the feel-good trend, we feature five amazing creatives—in the season’s best styles—who share what joy looks like on them.

September 14, 2020

Stacey Makiya,

Shar Tuiasoa

Artist/owner, Punky Aloha Studio

Photo: Harold Julian; Makeup: Risa Hoshino; Illustrations: Shar Tuiasoa

“I used to sing and play guitar in an electronic jazz band.”

“Joy and passion have a way of working with each other to help me navigate my daily choices. Communicating through art and color is my passion, and it’s a blueprint of my designs. Bold hues and beautiful shapes dancing in and out of rhythm, vibrant mismatched patterns against overly saturated tones and oversized glasses with big Polynesian hair that unapologetically shows the world that I’m proud to be colorful me—that’s my joy.”

Marina Rinaldi cupro dress, $885, marinarinaldi.com

Available Now: These Punky Aloha x Old Navy T-Shirts Support the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Emily Jaime

Fashion designer/owner, Yireh

PHOTO: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

“I’m a true-crime junkie.”

“Surfing has always brought me back to my center. There’s something about jumping in the salty water and feeling instantly connected to Mother Nature, which inspires most of my designs. My love for surfing has led me to many amazing things: meeting my husband, and traveling to exotic places and meeting locals, which is what inspired Yireh. The ocean is my joy, and she always comes through for me.”

Trapunto tunic dress, $698, toryburch.com; Hale‘iwa playsuit, $170, fightingeel.com

Risa Hoshino

Hair and makeup artist

PHOTO: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

“I’ve had a sticker collection that dates back to 1988 and it’s still growing.”

“Recently, I got to work on a fashion show with Sugarhigh Lovestoned, a Maui-based fashion label. The collection was inspired by David Bowie, who is my constant inspiration! I’ve been listening to him since I was a teen. He gave me the confidence to play dress up, and put on makeup, as I lip synced to his music in front of a mirror. Music (and musicians) have influenced my life in many ways and I’ve paid homage to a lot of them in my work. Aside from joy, music gives me many forms of emotion and colors that bring life to my creative stories.”

Knit dress, $1,690, gold earrings, $750, gold cuff, $1,290, alexandermcqueen.com

Location: Idea’s Music and Book Store, 670 Auahi St., Suite A-6, ideasmusicandbooks.com

Norma Spierings

Former Model/Parents and Children Together Chief Development Officer

PHOTO: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

“My modeling career took me to Milan, Paris, London and many other exotic locations. Hawai‘i is now my home and I love it.”

“Fashion for me is a fantasy. Inside me, there’s still that childhood princess who loves to play dress up! It’s not about owning fancy things or designer labels, rather it’s a beautiful distraction and creative way for me to ‘wear’ my mood. At times a fancy dress or sleek suit (with the perfect shoe!) brings me joy and ignites my youthful spirit.”

Lace jacket, $7,050, earrings, $700, silk scarf, $200, available at select Chanel Boutiques, (800) 550-0005. Dress, model’s own.

Andrew Mau

Artist/furniture designer, Mau-House

PHOTO: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

“I really like (Microsoft) Excel and make spreadsheets for everything.”

“Many designers, including myself, prefer a more introverted work environment. There’s a humbleness and a self-reflective  nature to the behind-closed-doors creative  process, whether it’s designing furniture, jewelry or stationery. I have the freedom to be myself, try new things and make mistakes without anyone documenting my failures. A joyful moment for me is when the viewer sees beyond the physical object and appreciates the dedication to my craft.”

Windowpane plaid button-down shirt, $245, stripe tee, $85, wool trousers, $365, vince.com. Andrew Mau Metacom armchair, $1,400, mau-house.com

Behind-the-Scenes: Far From Normal

How do you shoot the fall fashion feature when the must-have accessory of the year is a face mask, and Clorox wipes sell out faster than anything Gucci? In the words of Mr. Gunn, “Make it work.”

PHOTO: CHRISTINE LABRADOR

Makeup artist Risa Hoshino dons a face shield and mask while prepping Shar Tuiasoa for her photo shoot. Hoshino now requires clients to agree to a COVID-19 contract, outlining all the safety procedures she and they should follow.

PHOTOS: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

Normally, our senior fashion editor, Stacey Makiya, would be fixing a sleeve or whisking away a wrinkle in between photographs. But, since Emily Jaime was four months pregnant (which didn’t stop her from jumping for joy), Makiya kept her distance.

PHOTOS: HAROLD JULIAN; MAKEUP: RISA HOSHINO

On some photo shoots, we have had as many as nine people on site. This year, we limited it to four, including photographer Harold Julian and his assistant, Cesar Roman. Julian used a long lens to capture designer Andrew Mau from about 20 feet away.