Lawaiʻa Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Breathable, cotton t-shirt top features original, custom artwork by Maoli designers. With a modern fit, featuring a rounded crew neck, this soft cotton t-shirt is one that can be worn casually for any occasion.

Whether it is relaxing at the beach, grabbing dinner in town, or catching the sunset on an afternoon hike, this Maoli t-shirt is perfect for any occasion.

• Women’s slim-fit t-shirt.
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton.
  
• Athletic Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester.
• Crew neck.
  
• Short sleeve.
• Premium artwork by indigenous designers.
• Custom, trademark graphic.

For detailed information on our short sleeve t-shirts, check out our Fit Guide.

NATIVE HAWAIIAN DESIGN

Our Lawaiʻa design honors the ʻike kuʻuna (traditional knowledge) passed down from our kūpuna (ancestors) through the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). The word, lawaiʻa, means “fishing” or “fisherman” in Hawaiian (let it also be known that men, women and peoples of all identities are included when we mean “fishermen”).

If the word, lawaiʻa, is broken down into its individual components, we get “lawa” and “iʻa”: lawa meaning “enough”, “sufficient” or “ample”, and iʻa meaning “fish”. Isn’t that remarkable? The Hawaiian translation for “fishing” or “fisherman” is “enough fish”. Our ancestors could have used the word “hopu” (which means to catch) instead of “lawa”, but made an active decision against it.

This was not an accident. As stewards of the earth, ancient Hawaiians recognized that resources were finite. They also possessed the wisdom to consider their impact on not one or two, but hundreds of generations into the future. As a result, they embedded life lessons (like this one of preserving the ocean’s resources for future generations into everyday language.

Wear this design to embody the cultural knowledge of our ancestors, and ensure that there is “enough fish” for future generations to come.