Beautiful and Authentic Hawaiian Shirts

It's easy to find cheap knock-offs of Hawaiian shirts, but owning a vintage Hawaiian shirt is like owning a piece of island history. Vintage Hawaiian shirts were manufactured between 1930 - 1950 and are high quality garments made from rayon, cotton, or silk. Brilliant designs and intricate buttons lend quality detail to shirts that are truly works of art.

Authentic Shirts vs. Imposters

Here's how you'll know if your shirt is authentic vintage Hawaiian: it will be made out of rayon, cotton, or silk. A polyester Hawaiian shirt is not vintage, as polyester did not come into use until shirts were mass produced in the modern era.

Another way to know if to make sure the Hawaiian shirt has a tag stating "Made in Hawaii." While some authentic vintage Hawaiian shirts were manufactured in Japan or California, the highest quality (and highest value) shirts were manufactured in Hawaii. Many vintage Hawaiian shirts will specify "Made in Honolulu."

Vintage Hawaiian shirts will have intricate buttons manufactured from coconut, shell, metal, or wood. Shirts from the later vintage period may also contain buttons made from Bakelite. The buttonholes are almost always horizontal in vintage Hawaiian shirts: modern reproductions often have vertical buttonholes.

Quality vintage Hawaiian shirts have a hem with a double seam and will not have collar stays. The earliest Hawaiian shirts were manufactured from silk or cotton, but rayon Hawaiian shirts have the most value, since they hold up well over time.


Consult a list of authentic vintage Hawaiian shirt manufacturers prior to investing in an expensive shirt.

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