This short-sleeved aloha shirt by Hookano is nod toward the Asian-inspired prints and fabrics that were popular in the ’30s, when tourism to Hawai‘i was booming. The patterns of these shirts depicted many different Asian symbols, from pine trees that represented long life to tigers that symbolized courage and strength. On this shirt are goldfish, a symbol of good luck and fortune in Chinese culture. In Mandarin, there are two words spelling “yú” in English. To the untrained ear, both words sound alike — but one means fish and the other means bounty. Hence, goldfish has come to represent a surplus of wealth. These golden, orange, red and brown goldfish on this shirt gracefully swim across the water’s surface lit by a morning sun.
