See Sugarhigh Lovestoned’s David Bowie-Inspired Collection at First Friday in March
The Maui-based brand has been spotted on Sheryl Crow, Halsey, Vanessa Hudgens and other celebs. Its latest collection pays homage to the ’70s glam icon at HiSAM’s fashion show on March 6.
Editor’s Note: Through our partnership with the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, HONOLULU Magazine publishes a monthly blog written by Lisa Shiroma, owner of the HiSAM Museum Gallery Shop.
Photos: Evan Margot Fischer; model: Chloe Hopfner
Designer Ginny Slim’s clothing takes you on a nostalgic trip to the era of free spirits and good old rock ’n’ roll. Her cult brand, Sugarhigh Lovestoned, launched on Maui after two successful Kickstarter campaigns allowed her to create pieces with a modern hippy/girl-power attitude, inspired by road trips, summer music festivals, and vintage rock ’n’ roll T-shirts. Soon, her head-turning designs were spotted on Hollywood celebrities and concertgoers at the Coachella music festival. Fast forward 10 years and the brand now has a loyal following of 144,000 on Instagram and more than 53,000 likes on Facebook. You’ll get a chance to see why at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum’s First Friday fashion show on March 6.
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Before Sugarhigh Lovestoned, Slim did retail and freelance graphic design work for well-known local spots. One day, a brand account rep came into the shop where she was working and literally pulled her into the dressing room to tell her two things: “‘1. You need to have your own brand. You’re wasting your time working retail. We can help you with your first run,’” Slim recalls, and “‘2. The fashion industry has two sides, one being the most exciting ways to be creative, and the other that it can absolutely break your heart. Very rarely is it somewhere in between.’ And she was right. We ride the highs, and we drink lattes, eat gummy bears and pop CBD capsules through the lows.”
At the heart of Sugarhigh Lovestoned is the slow fashion philosophy. “We don’t over-design, meaning that each piece is well thought out, how they flow with the other pieces, how it all ties together,” Slim says. “We don’t just make a bunch of crap and then narrow it down. It’s such a waste, and I personally think it takes away from what being a designer used to mean. We also produce in limited runs and make almost everything in the U.S.”
Recently, Slim and her team landed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with a licensing firm that represents the late rock legend David Bowie. Slim dove in headfirst, listening to the upbeat classic “Modern Love” on repeat while she designed the collection. When asked what draws her to the star, she says: “I think everyone is drawn to him. Well, maybe just everyone who has felt misunderstood.” Then, after a ton of back and forth with the firm, Slim and her business partner Zach Mann, who has been with Sugarhigh Lovestoned since 2012, landed on the final pieces. “It’s been a huge challenge,” Slim says. See the star-worthy results at the museum’s monthly fashion show, then check out T-shirts and posters available for purchase at the gallery shop.
Fashion show begins at 7:30 p.m. on March 6, 250 S. Hotel St.
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isa Shiroma is the owner of the HiSAM Museum Gallery Shop and runs it with partners Aly Ishikuni-Sasaki and Travis Sasaki from Mori by Art + Flea.
Lisa worked as gallery manager for Koa Art Gallery at KCC from 2014 to 2017.
In July 2017, Lisa, Travis and Aly renovated and reopened the Hawai‘i State Art Museum’s gift shop space as a new art gallery and gift shop “for Hawai‘i artists, by Hawai‘i artists.”
