In the early 1950's manufacturers across the Pacific Ocean and from California to the East Coast recognized the popularity of Hawaiian sportswear and began turning out their own versions of Hawaiian apparel.
The president of McGregor David Donager, would travel from New York to Hawaii once a year to purchase Hawaiian textile art and relax on the shoreline at Waikiki Beach. He would "come out and pick up my designs and take them back," recalled Alan Delpech, a local textile designer.
Mainland manufacturers interpreted their own versions of Hawaiian shirts and took them to the mass market, producing national advertising campaigns and often selling shirts at a cheaper price than the originals form Hawaii.
