Wah Cho Lock owned Hale Hawaii a company that he started in 1948. A newspaper article once quoted Wah Cho talking about Hawaiian print shirts. "Pineapples, leis, hibiscus, surf boards, anything that is typical of Hawaii appeals to the visitor. And the gayer the colors the better."
His prints were unique and he worked closely with talented local and mainland textile designers to create exceptional designs. After a tour of the island, he would bring visiting artists to his home, where they would all sit around the lanai, under their Mango tree while his wife and her girlfriends would play ukulele and sing Hawaiian songs. They would eat fresh mangoes, papaya, pineapples and lychee as they immersed themselves in the backyard culture that truly influenced the Island spirit.
Wah Cho also had relationships with hand screen printer's in Japan that would often use over 20 screens, giving the shirts added dimension and brilliance no longer available. He enabled and encouraged artists to develop prints that were special and purposeful that reflected the essence of our Islands.
