Cowboy Cloth & Aloha Cloth: What Our Shirts Are Made Of
A shirt in Hawaii has a lot to handle in one day. A cool upcountry morning, a hot afternoon at the beach, dinner in town. When we went looking for a fabric that could do all of that and still feel good, we couldn't find one. So we made our own. Two of them, actually. Cowboy Cloth for our Western snap shirts, and Aloha Cloth for our Aloha shirts.
Cowboy Cloth
Cowboy Cloth is the fabric in our Western snap shirts. It's a lightweight cotton-rich blend. The cotton makes it soft and breathable. The addition of polyester to the blend makes it quick to dry, easy to care for and tough enough for ranch work.
- Soft as cotton. And it gets softer the more you wear it.
- Lightweight and breathable. Made for hot days, from the beach to the ranch.
- Quick to dry. Rain, sweat or a wave over the bow, it's dry again before you know it.
- Easy care and durable. It resists wrinkles, holds its shape, and with care lasts a long time.
If you're anything like us, you'll live in it.
Printed in small batches
Our prints are our own. We don't buy seasonal, off-the-shelf prints. We work with graphic and textile artists on original prints drawn from life on Hawaii Island.
We print Cowboy Cloth in small batches with reactive dyes, which bond with the cotton fibers instead of sitting on top of the fabric. The color goes all the way through, so the back of the cloth carries the print too. That lets us do something we love.
Reverse prints. For some styles, we turn the fabric over and use the back as the face of the shirt. The colors come through softer, like a favorite shirt that has spent a few summers in the sun. Honolulu shirtmakers started turning printed fabric inside out in the 1960s, and reverse prints have been an Aloha shirt tradition ever since. Our front prints are brighter and bolder. Or as we like to say, our reverse prints trap happiness inside, while our front prints radiate happiness to the world.
Because we print in small batches, we don't carry excess inventory. A print that sells out may be gone for good, or come back in new colors or a new scale. Colors can vary a little from batch to batch, which is part of the charm.
Palaka and Palaka Nui
Our palaka is yarn-dyed. The threads are dyed before they're woven, so the plaid is in the cloth, not printed on it. It's inspired by an old pineapple worker's jacket and keeps the original's colors, woven in lightweight Cowboy Cloth. (Read more in Palaka, Hawaii's Original Work Shirt.)
Palaka Nui ("nui" means large or many) doubles the scale of the plaid and adds a third color. It's printed on Cowboy Cloth instead of yarn-dyed, which lets us play with size and color, and gives it a relaxed, sun-faded look.
Aloha Cloth
Aloha Cloth is the fabric in our camp collar Aloha shirts, the ones with coconut buttons. It's a blend of polyester and elastane with the drape and cool hand of rayon or silk, and none of the fuss.
- Four-way stretch. It moves with you, so it's as good for golf, biking and hiking as it is for dinner.
- Wrinkle-resistant and quick-drying. Pack it, wear it, wash it, hang it, wear it again.
- Bright, lasting color. Aloha Cloth is printed with sublimation, where heat bonds the dye into the fibers, so the colors stay bright wash after wash.
- Made to last. Lightweight enough for a Kona afternoon, durable enough to come back every season. Many of our Aloha Cloth styles are made with recycled polyester.
Our other fabrics
- Japanese cotton. Our embroidered Western shirts are 100% Japanese cotton, garment dyed and enzyme washed for a soft, broken-in feel.
- Waimea overshirt twill. Our overshirts are a heavyweight 100% cotton twill, yarn-dyed in palaka and stone washed. Built to layer over a tee or one of our snap shirts on a cool Waimea morning.
Which one is right for you?
If you want the feel of cotton and a shirt that goes from the ranch to the beach, choose a Western snap shirt in Cowboy Cloth. If you want stretch, a dressier drape and a shirt that packs flat for travel, choose an Aloha shirt in Aloha Cloth.
Shop by fabric
Alenuihaha. Reverse-printed Cowboy Cloth, short sleeve Western snap shirt.
Kauai Red Palaka. Yarn-dyed palaka in Cowboy Cloth, long sleeve.
Palaka Nui Blue Kauai Red. Printed palaka nui in Cowboy Cloth, long sleeve.
Guardian Of The Sea. Aloha Cloth, short sleeve camp collar with coconut buttons.
Surfboard Yellow Camp Shirt. Aloha Cloth, short sleeve camp collar with coconut buttons.
Waimea Overshirt Lanikai Green Palaka. Heavyweight yarn-dyed cotton twill.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cowboy Cloth? Our own lightweight cotton-rich blend fabric for Western snap shirts. It's as soft as cotton, quick to dry, breathable and easy to care for.
What is a reverse print? A shirt made with the back of the printed fabric facing out. The colors look softer and slightly faded, a look Aloha shirt makers have used since the 1960s.
What is Aloha Cloth? Our four-way stretch fabric for camp collar Aloha shirts, a polyester and elastane blend with the drape of rayon or silk. It's wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying and easy care.
Do Western Aloha shirts wrinkle? Not much. Cowboy Cloth resists wrinkles, and Aloha Cloth is wrinkle-resistant enough to pack and wear straight from the bag.
Shop Western ShirtsShop Aloha Shirts
More from Talk Story: The Western Snap Shirt · Palaka, Hawaii's Original Work Shirt · The History of the Aloha Shirt