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 the pheonix that represented long life to tigers that symbolized courage and strength. On this shirt is a long red bridge stretching across a tranquil river in the springtime. Next to it stands a lantern, unlit, and nearby looms a large, red-trucked tree topped with green leaves. Spring symbolizes renewal, and you can get the sense from this morning scene that the day has just begun and brings with it an adventure yet unrevealed.
