Jana Lam’s 8-Piece Travel Accessory Set is Our New Must-Have Collection

Ladies and gents, to make your flight more enjoyable we’re announcing the arrival of Jana Lam’s Bird of Paradise collection.

December 27, 2018

Stacey Makiya,

Makeup pouch, $35; wallet, $58; fanny pack, $58.

photos: david croxford, getty images

The eight-piece travel ensemble includes a weekender, carryall tote, backpack, fanny pack, toiletry case, makeup pouch, wallet and coin purse. And, of course, they’re all covered in an oh-so-tropical, oh-so-whimsical, oh-so-recognizable Jana Lam print. However, the road to creating this wanderlust collection wasn’t easy for Lam. It had its detours.

“I’ve been wanting to create adventure pieces for a long time now, and so have my customers,” says Lam. “We’ve made prototypes of them, but they were all too time-consuming and costly for us to make ourselves, so we shelved the idea.” A year ago, Lam dusted off the dream. She chose to manufacture overseas—it was the first time an entire collection would not be made here.

“It’s not a decision I made lightly. My brand is firmly rooted in the made-in-Hawai‘i, made-by-hand mindset. It takes one trip to my retail/studio space to see that. It’s how I started—designing, screen-printing and sewing everything myself—simply because I loved it. But I also want to push the boundaries beyond what we can produce ourselves; some products we are not physically capable of making in the studio,” says Lam.

And, while her choice on manufacturing still stings a bit, Lam’s face lights up when she talks inspiration and design. “The synergy between an exotic floral that reminds people of Hawai‘i and flying birds, and bags that can be used on the go, it felt so right.”

The sought-after accessories—we had co-workers calling dibs on them before they hit stores—are made of lightweight denim that’s been coated to be stain- and weather-resistant. The inside lining is made of nylon ripstop to prevent tears and rips. Lam herself put it through the test on a recent family trip.

“I toted the carryall all over Japan. I have two young kids, so there was a lot of stuff that fit in it. I put it on train floors, on the ground, everywhere, and at the end it still looked as good as new,” recalls Lam.

And, what would a Jana Lam piece be without a pop of color? Zippers and straps add vibrant yellow, red and teal accents.

We ask Lam, will there be a second collection? “To be honest, I’m not sure,” she says with a laugh. “I like to have my hands on what I create, and manufacturing overseas doesn’t allow for that. And, just like in this collection, there has to be a perfect synergy between the print and the product—something we know that’ll kick ass!”

Jana Lam, 851 Pohukaina St. Suite C11, (808) 888-5044, janalam.com.