*This story was originally published on Jan. 15, 2025, and updated in January 2026. The muʻumuʻu has come a long way from its reputation as a gaudy house dress. In fact, it’s very in vogue these days. So much so, January is Muʻumuʻu Month in Hawaiʻi. It started 11 years ago by Kauaʻi designer Shannon […]
A year ago Shannon Hiramoto was browsing the Salvation Army thrift store in Lihue when she came across a short muumuu, with bright pink and purple flowers and a ruffled neckline. She absolutely loved it and bought it for $4. The Kauai-born fashion designer has long had a thing for the loose-fitting aloha-print dresses that
About five years ago, Shannon Hiramoto, a Kauai-born fashion designer who uses secondhand materials to create garments and bags, received a box of old muʻumuʻu (relaxed aloha print dresses) from a friend’s mom, thinking she could repurpose the material into other clothing. “I upcycled a few into tote bags, but it broke my heart to
