Aloha shirts are silk, rayon, and polyester dyed with gorgeous and colorful tropical motifs such as pineapples and women dancing hula, and oriental motifs such as goldfish and tigers (called wagara). , An open-collared shirt made of fabric such as cotton. "Aloha" means "goodwill", "affection", "mercy", "kindness", "compassion", and "greeting" in Hawaiian.

As for its origin, it originated from Japanese clothes. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Japanese immigrants who were engaged in sugar planting and agriculture favored palakas (open-collared shirts worn by European sailors) because they resembled Japanese cotton kasuri. It is said that it originated from reusing kimonos that had been brought in to make them look like Paraka. Another theory is that local people who were attracted to the beauty of Japanese kimonos asked them to make kimonos into shirts.

When the kimonos and yukatas brought from Japan by the immigrants became old, they used the scraps to make Palaka-style shirts for children. It is easy to imagine that the unique colors and patterns of kimono were freshly reflected by local people and tourists, and it is speculated that open-collared shirts made using new fabrics for kimonos and yukatas became popular and gradually spread. can. In fact, the Japanese immigrants who had been working on the plantations eventually found employment in various fields in the city, and by 1900 there were many tailors and kimono shops in Honolulu.

At that time, the fabric for Aloha shirts was produced and exported mainly to Japan. In particular, Kyoto and Osaka, which are the centers of dyeing and weaving, including Yuzen, were important textile production areas that supported the Aloha shirt from the dawn to the peak except during the war. There were Japanese patterns that were freely drawn on the fabric without losing the meaning of the pattern, and tropical patterns that were typical of Hawaii were also designed in Japan. Not only the Nikkei, but also the country of Japan was deeply involved in the history of the development of Aloha shirts.