Jan 6 2009Inventor Of The Hawaiian Shirt Passes Away
Alfred Shaheen, inventor of the Hawaiian shirt, has passed away. He was 86.
"Before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry. There were mom and pop stores but no real modern industry," Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University said.
By 1959, the year Hawaii became a state, he had more than 400 employees working for him and was grossing more than $4 million a year as the major player in the islands' garment industry.
Somewhere, in paradise, Jimmy Buffet is face down in a pitcher of margarita. He hasn't even touched his cheeseburger.
R.I.P. Alfred Shaheen, I'll be rocking my favorite Hawaiian this weekend in your honor.
Inventor of the Hawaiian shirt dies [metro]
Thanks to Julian, who can get leid even without a flowery shirt.
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Reader Comments
1. ham - January 6, 2009 11:13 AM
I'm the hamburglar.
2. I'm a Computer - January 6, 2009 11:14 AM
maybe people will finally stop wearing them.
3. gizmoduck - January 6, 2009 11:15 AM
what have a gained from this?
grey bush in FL feeling tropical with cotton merchandise?
good for him
4. someone - January 6, 2009 11:16 AM
I'll quote Homer Simpson:
"The only guys who wear Hawaiian shirts are gay guys and big fat party animals."
5. gizmoduck - January 6, 2009 11:18 AM
86
22 now
6. known - January 6, 2009 11:19 AM
Stop wearing hamburgers? I doubt it, that's pretty suave in hawaii this year.
Well at least the guy lived a little
7. Timbo - January 6, 2009 11:21 AM
@2 Hopefully.... hopefully...
I've gotta make a state and make some ugly shirts to match so I can rake in 4 million a year...
8. known - January 6, 2009 11:22 AM
....I suggest the state of confusion, and you could bank on clothing that didn't make any sense like most of these comments. That'd get you some good cash in europe probably
9. Lex10 - January 6, 2009 11:54 AM
So, uh, what were they called when people wore them in the years prior (1930's to 1950's) to his "inventing" them? Pacific shirts? Shirts? Flowered Island apparel? From Here to Eternity shirts?
10. Elmo - January 6, 2009 11:55 AM
"Somewhere, in paradise, Jimmy Buffet is face down in a pitcher of margarita. He hasn't even touched his cheeseburger."
xD
11. Moose Knuckle - January 6, 2009 11:56 AM
So, wait, he didn't actually INVENT the hawaiin shirt, he stole it from the mom and pop stores and poularized it? He exploited an indigineous people for profit? Is that what I'm getting here?
12. Burnout - January 6, 2009 12:37 PM
Ellery J. Chun died in 2000. Who is this fraud you write of?
13. Daisy - January 6, 2009 12:52 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie Never Back Down where Max modded his moped to run on steam. He totally created a steampunk look for it with a shitload of brass tubes, and old timey high tech navigation and such.
He cruised over to Baja's and they rode it double to Del Tacos to take advantage of the bacon cheese log special. They had to hide the moped in an old wooden crate, because Pat Sajack was in the area and he is a notorious moped thief.
Later they returned to Baja's house to eat more bacon, and try her new defibrillator as the bacon was causing them to have frequent heart attacks.
Later Max's dad asked what he did all afternoon, Max replied I had several infarction's with Baja, and Max's dad thought it was something dirty and grounded him for a week.
14. known - January 6, 2009 12:56 PM
lmao Daisy, that was a great story AND I love bacon cheese roll specials
15. Thumperchica - January 6, 2009 2:28 PM
@13 - Well done. No, seriously, I want my bacon roll well done.
I am still a bit confused as to how GW selects what ends up on the site... I'm beginning to think is has something to do with hamster poo...
16. Jho - January 6, 2009 4:11 PM
Needless to say, I'm sure his funeral will be Aloha Attire. :D
17. Robin Bonin - January 6, 2009 4:25 PM
Now my collection will be worth something
18. Sarah - January 7, 2009 1:59 PM
While I respect him for his contributions and accomplishments, he didnt "invent" the Aloha shirt (aka Hawaiian shirt). I was looking around on the Web and found a article that gives a pretty good overview of the origins of the Hawaiian shirt http://www.waveshoppe.com/tapa-cloth.htm
I would also recomend reading the History of Hawaiian Holoku by Linda Boynton Arthur http://www.waveshoppe.com/aloha-attire.htm
19. Rodney Dangercomeinface - January 9, 2009 6:52 PM
:(
Go Cougs.
20. bendizle - January 28, 2009 11:40 AM
ABOUT f***ING TIME!!!! GOD DAMMIT I HATE f***ING ALOHA SHIRTS!!!!!!! f*** HIM AND HIS SLAVES!!!! every time i walk down downtown honolulu and i see a family of tourists wearing matching aloha shirts i want to shank them in the face with a spoon!! ugh they are ridiculous WHY WHY AMERICA?!?!?! Why do you wear them!!!!!?!?!?!?!???!?!