R.I.P. Alfred Shaheen

Alfred Shaheen, the inventor of the Hawaiian shirt, has died. He was 86.

According to this article from metro.co.uk:

As tourists from the US [went to] Hawaii after World War II, many began to bring home colorful but cheesy looking shirts and sundresses that would be cause for much amusement among friends.

Shaheen began to change that in 1948 when he opened Shaheen’s of Honolulu and began designing, printing and producing “aloha” shirts, dresses and other ready-to-wear clothing of better quality.

Shaheen’s original designs can easily fetch $1,000 these days. If you’ve ever seen this album cover, you’ve seen a Shaheen original:

Elivis - Blue Hawaii

Rest in Peace, Alfred!

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