Surf into Style at the Number 808 Boutique in Hale‘iwa

North Shore boutique Number 808 offers easy, everyday fashion loaded with retro-surf charm.

October 28, 2015

Brie Thalmann,

Number 808 co-owner cappy esguerra.

Photo: Odeelo Dayondon

Shave ice. big swells. small-town charm. Hale‘iwa’s signature attractions have long made it the ultimate day-trip destination. And now, thanks to the newly opened Number 808 boutique, the sleepy little beach town has added another feather to its sunhat: killer style.

Owners Cappy and John Esguerra’s design-rich résumés and penchant for surf culture make them well suited to the task. Cappy, a born-and-raised North Shore girl, previously helmed Baik Designs, her family’s Honolulu-based home décor store, handling everything from furniture design to buying and merchandising, all while styling and coordinating production for New York brands on the side.

Photo: Odeelo Dayondon

It’s no wonder then, that the airy, sundrenched shop is full of eclectic fixtures and offbeat accessories. Smack in the center of the space, a vintage army cot showcases Malia Jones swimsuits. A few feet away, twin seafoam-hued antique cabinets of the Dutch colonial variety house an array of Sun Buddies sunglasses and gorgeous, speckled teacups handcrafted by Brooklyn ceramist Shino Takeda. Back at the entrance, wood from a bridge in Indonesia has been repurposed into a sawhorse-style table, now topped with old-school Hawai‘i postcards and quirky bucket hats.

“We are really into folk art, mid-century design, old found objects and vintage pieces mixed with clean-but-rustic, raw-wood furniture,” says Cappy. “Sort of the artful bohemian.”

Washington, D.C.-born John, a multidiscipline artist, started out as a graphic designer in California and New York before moving to Italy to serve as creative supervisor for Diesel. Upon the arrival of their first child in 2004, the couple set down roots in Hale‘iwa to be closer to family, and, in 2010, John launched his own clothing brand, Quality Peoples.

Photo: David Croxford

The casual-cool line started out with a focus on unisex T-shirts printed with images, graphics and words inspired by a deep love of the sea. Since its launch, it has grown to include a range of low-key separates—shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and shorts that make up about a quarter of Number 808’s menswear stock. In the lineup for fall/winter 2015? Slim-cut button-downs made of Japanese cotton flannel, a cozy, French Terry raglan sweatshirt topped with instructions to “Seek Shelter” and simple, Alpaca-wool beanies, perfect complements to the shop’s mix of vintage Hawai‘i T-shirts, Saturdays Surf NYC pocket tees and retro Mollusk boardshorts.

Number 808’s women’s range is equally great. Part minimal-urban, part beach-chic, it includes everything from ubiquitously shaped, raw-hem dresses from Black Crane and gauzy cotton tanks from New York label Uzi to scalloped Surf Bazaar mini skirts embroidered with neon flowers. Says Cappy, “We definitely strive to be different, thoughtful and functional in a way that fits our laid-back Hawaiian lifestyle, supporting a community of brands, artisans and friends local and abroad.”

Number 808, 66-165 Kamehameha Highway, 4C, Hale‘iwa, 312-1579