hawaiian shirt (with images link!)

V

vintagehound

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Hello,
I would like to know if anyone would have some info. on a Duke Kahanamoku shirt with a label that reads,
"Champion" "An Hawaiian Original"
The inside remnant reads " A cisco casual" and "A Duke Kahanamoku Print"
There are two breast pockets.
A Hidden collar seam.
No fiber content label just a small label that reads, "hand Washable", 16-16 1/2 , And a 4 inside a circle.
I believe The buttons are original and and sewn on verticle,
all the button holes are horizontal.
There is no button loop at the collar.
Thank your for your time.
Click Here For Images
 
Hi and welcome! It will be much easier to help if you can post some photos, of the shirt and for sure of the tag. Horizontal buttonholes sounds promising, in terms of an older shirt. Does the fabric feel cottony or silky?
 
Duke Kahanamoku was a famous Hawaiian surfer and olympic swimmer whose name was licenced to several companies, including the Champion shirt company.

The horizontal buttonholes usually mean it's an older shirt, but not always. When the vintage aloha shirt fad peaked about 10 years ago, several companies were re-creating "heritage" versions of older shirts, reproducing old labels and designs.

It's value would depend on condition, size, colors, and rarity. A large or XL would be more desirable than a small.

Can you post a picture?

My husband collects aloha shirts, and probably has about 500 of them. (We stopped counting after 300)
 
i use this site to upload pictures, http://www.tinypic.com/
you need to upload the image from your computer and select the size (message board), once its loaded, cut the URL and then paste it in to your message if you preview the post first you can check the picture displays correctly, hope this helps
 
I never found information about Champion shirts, but in ads from Ancestry.com's newspaper database I found:

June 1950: "Hawaiian Sport Shirt; By Cisco; Duke Kahanamoku .... $6.95"

MaY 1951: "An Unusual Collection of Sport Shirts Designed in Hawaii by Duke Kahanamoku; A different sport shirt for play and pleasure. Designed in the relaxed atmosphere of Hawaiian beaches by Duke Kahanmoku ... and precision tailored by Cisco in fine quality rayon fabrics to give you shirts with a flair for fun. Comes with short sleeves in a large selection of authentically Hawaiian colorful ideas. $6.95"

July 1956: "duke kahanamoku swim sets; All over prints and floral designs in rich rayon fuji cloth. Boxer model trunks. Short sleeve shirt; Shirt $6.95; Trunks $6.95"

June 1958: "Duke Kahanamoku's Tropical Island Shorts and Shirt, 13.95"

I don't think there were ads for Hawaiian shirts associated with him after the 1950s.
Lynne
 
Thank you all for the input.
If you run across any more ideas on how to date it, or what it may be worth please let me know.
 
according to "The Aloha Shirt" by Hope & Tozian, the partnership between Duke Kahanamoku and Cisco Casuals began in 1949 and lasted 12 years. That would place your shirt between 1949 and 1961. I am not a Hawaiian expert, but I am not aware of any authentic reproductions of the Duke shirts unlike Kamehameha who issued line for line repros of several of their shirts in Japan a few years ago. So I'm thinking yours is real.

There's a cool website with photos of many fabulous aloha shirts, if you'd like to browse the eye candy. Unfortunately, there's no search function, apparently by design - all the shirts are from his personal collection and the owner wants folks to browse.
http://www.vintagehawaiianshirt.net/index.htm

eBay, unless things have changed in Hawaiiana recently, is likely to get you the best price for your shirt. Be prepared for emails with BIN offers asking you to end early.
 
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