Lei - 5

FOR THE LGBT TRAVELER

Lei are the traditional Hawaiian symbol of love, friendship, appreciation, and aloha.

For generations, the people of Hawai‘i have used lei to express these emotions, strengthen relationships, and give thanks. Our roots are in Hawai‘i and our goal with Lei is to welcome, entertain, and give thanks to travelers as we explore our home islands and other temperate, LGBT-friendly destinations.

ESCAPE THE ORDINARY, FIND THE CENTER OF PARADISE

Step into The Royal Grove and discover the rich legacy of Helumoa, Waikīkī’s historic coconut grove in the heart of Royal Hawaiian Center. We invite you to enjoy our celebration of dance, music and Hawaiian traditions while you shop our 110 distinctive stores and 30 unique dining destinations.

One Unforgettable Experience

Cartier

Fendi

Harry

TsuruTonTan

PUBLISHER

Joe V. Bock

JOE@NMGNETWORK.COM

EDITOR

Lisa Yamada-Son

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ara Feducia

MANAGING EDITOR

Matthew Dekneef

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Anna Harmon

DESIGNERS

Michelle Ganeku

Mitchell Fong

JUNIOR DESIGNER

Skye Yonamine

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

John Hook

NETWORK MARKETING COORDINATOR

Aja Toscano

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Eunica Escalante

MASTHEAD

CONTRIBUTORS

Marie Eriel Hobro

Mitchell Kuga

Kainoa Reponte

Al Town

Kylie Yamauchi

IMAGES

Christian Cook

Daeja Fallas

AJ Feducia

Marie Eriel Hobro

Jonas Maon

Kainoa Reponte

Carter Schneider

Michael Vossen

PRESIDENT & CEO

Jason Cutinella

GROUP PUBLISHER

Mike Wiley

MIKE@NMGNETWORK.COM

NETWORK STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Francine Naoko Beppu

MARKETING & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES

Helen Chang

Chelsea Tsuchida

SALES ASSISTANT

Kylee Takata

OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

Courtney Miyashiro

VP ACCOUNTS RECIEVABLE

Gary Payne

LEAD PRODUCER

Gerard Elmore

VIDEO EDITOR

Kyle Kosaki

DESTINATION

MARKETING HAWAII

Debbie Anderson

PUBLISHED BY

NELLA MEDIA GROUP

36 N. HOTEL ST., SUITE A HONOLULU, HI 96817

NMGNETWORK.COM

© 2018–2019 by Nella Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions are solely those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Nella Media Group.

ISSN 2578-210X

ONLINE

Want to stay in the know with what’s happening around Hawai‘i? Find more stories online at leiculture.com.

STORIES

Travis Flazer and Mark Pei search for treasured oddities across the islands and country for their Chinatown antique shop. Niki Buldun and Taelor Pleas tied the knot on the Big Island of Hawai‘i on their 10-year anniversary. Read about their relationships, made possible in the islands, on our site.

ITINERARIES

From lava-lined trails to rustic vineyards, the island of Maui’s sights make for a memorable three-day trip. Follow our itinerary covering this wondrous and wild landscape online.

EXPERIENCE

While you are in Hawai‘i, do you want to party? Stay fit, yoga-style? Dine out? Immerse yourself in the culture? All of the above? Then check out our monthly event guide on leiculture.com.

KEEP UP WITH US ONLINE:

WEBSITE: LEICULTURE.COM

FACEBOOK: /LEICULTURE

TWITTER: @LEICULTURE

INSTAGRAM: @LEICULTURE

Aloha, and mahalo for reading Lei, our voice for the LGBT traveler.

For the past five years we have produced Lei with our diverse community of travelers in mind, focused primarily on our Hawai‘i home. At times we’ve ventured out to other balmy, LGBT-friendly destinations like Sydney or Palm Springs. We’ve provided most of our coverage via our annual printed magazine, with additional coverage and stories on our digital channels at leiculture.com and @leiculture.

In the past few months we’ve begun sharing stories with video, an exciting new format for us, and one that allows our readers and viewers to see in action the people who make our world colorful.

We’ve always focused on individuals and their stories, because although we live in one of the most naturally beautiful settings (Hawai‘i is hard to beat in both scenery and climate), it really is our community that makes our island home so special.

So, we invite you to enjoy this fifth issue of Lei, and also get to know some incredibly interesting individuals through our new channel, Lei TV. Available online and in-room at Hawai‘i hotels, Lei TV shares the experiences of LGBT travelers as they explore the Hawaiian Islands, or, on the flip-side while they go about their daily lives in their home cities of New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

To view the latest episodes of Lei TV visit us online at NMGNetwork.com. And if you happen to make the trip to Hawai‘i, please share your experiences with us. We hope to see you around.

Safe

travels,

Joe Bock Publisher

@leiculture leiculture.com

Experience a new Golden Age of Waikīkī at the freshly reimagined Queen Kapi‘olani Hotel. Choose from 315 newly transformed guest rooms, including 36 suites, with spectacular, unobstructed views of Kapi‘olani Park, Diamond Head, Waikīkī Beach, and infinity views of the Pacific Ocean.

Lei TV offers a curated guide to Hawai‘i for the discerning LGBT traveler. Its episodic series take viewers around the islands through diverse stories about the places, passions, and people who call it their home.

Watch online at: NMGNETWORK.COM/LEITV

THE LEI OVER

Taylor Okata

New York-based stylist Taylor Okata shows us his favorite local spots and shops and introduces us to the family business on the island of O‘ahu.

THE LEI OVER

Kim Ann Foxman

DJ and music producer Kim Ann Foxman reconnects with the friends and places that have shaped and inspired her career.

LEI CULTURE

Manaola

Carrington Manaola Yap, the designer of Manaola, speaks of the loves in his life that inspire his clothing brand.

Lei Escapes

From beaches to dancehalls, this travel series shares the special locales that comprise the fabric of modern-day Hawai‘i.

Our Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry symbolizes the spirit of remembrance and declaration of love. Elegantly carved maile leaves signify love, honor and respect while radiant diamonds celebrate eternal love yesterday, today and tomorrow.

CULTURE

IMAGE BY Marie Eriel Hobro

SONGBIRDS

Musicians Izik Moreno and Lina

write words and melodies about love, pain, and all the harrowing emotions in between.

IMAGES BY Michael Vossen

Robins-Tamure

There’s a vulnerability apparent in any song written by singer-songwriters Izik Moreno and Lina Robins-Tamure. The solo artists have a talent for rendering heartbreak into soulful numbers—the most heart-wrenching being a ballad, “Wildflower,” the pair penned together based on a poem Robins-Tamure wrote as a teenager. We asked Moreno and Robins-Tamure to put down the instruments and interview one another about their practice. At the East-West Center’s Japanese gardens in Mānoa, the two talk about the current state of Hawaiian music, breakups, and their deep love for all things Mariah Carey.

Izik: I wore flowers today in honor of our song, “Wildflower,” that we wrote together. Are you happy? Tell me what you think. Make an assessment immediately. How beautiful do I look?

Lina: You always look beautiful. I feel bad I didn’t have time to get you a lei. I was actually going to bring Ni‘ihau shell lei.

Izik: Um, yeah, I don’t want the curse. You can keep it.

Lina: (Groans) They’re not cursed.

Izik: (Laughs) OK, do you have a question for me?

Lina: How was the drive here?

Izik: This is going to be 30 minutes of us just, “Sooo, what’d you eat last night?”

Lina: Well, this is the only petty question I have: Will I be on your next album? (Laughs)

Izik: Listen, I tried to get you into the studio. You were either on a plane to Japan or you were playing a gig in Waikīkī with some world-renowned Hawaiian musician. Or at Merrie Monarch. So, I’ve tried to get you on my album. Don’t even try that. You’ll be on this one, I promise.

Lina: Thanks very much.

Izik: All jokes aside, writing “Wildflower” with you was really easy. Not only because it was inspired from the poem that you wrote, but because you have a very calming energy that created a very auspicious moment for that song to materialize. Can you talk about the song and what it means to you?

Lina: Well, “Wildflower” did, on your part, happen really fast. I think we even came up with the melody pretty quick. It’s basically a song about unrequited love, or somebody that I had cared about but the mutual feelings not being there. The song was a way to help me realize that being friends is much more meaningful than exposing my feelings and totally losing the friendship, which would kill me.

Izik: Do you feel like as songwriters we tell the whole world how we feel, so that somehow it gets to the ears of the person we’re actually talking about?

Lina: In the most indirect way.

Izik: So, we’re passive-aggressive?

Lina: Exactly.

Izik: Cool, next question. (Laughs)

Lina: If you can narrow it down, what is one of your favorite songs you’ve written?

Izik: My grandma’s song, “Watch Me From Above.” I was in a really shitty place the night I wrote it. I was waiting on tables, and my grandma had just passed away. That night, every table was super mean to me. I got to the kitchen with all these plates in my hands, and I thought, “If these people knew I just lost the most important person in my life, would they still be this cruel?” I went home super heavy, took a shower, and was just bawling. I don’t know what it was—I heard this melody creeping in my head, and it got louder and louder. I turned off the shower, and still soaking wet, ran into my room. Fifteen minutes later I had written this song. The chord-changes in it, the musicality of it, was completely different from what I normally write. And the lyrics came out instantly. I don’t ever feel like I wrote that song.

Lina: Whether it was given to you, you still have brought it to light.

Izik: So, you and I have a very deep, infinite love for Mariah Carey. For me, when I think about being an 8-year-old boy discovering her, what captured me was the power of her vocals, of course, but also her songwriting. What is it about her that is alluring to you?

Lina: I first really heard her in ’98 …

Izik: Was it big-hair Mariah or was it straight-hair Mariah?

Lina: It was big-hair Mariah. It was VH1 Divas Live. She did “My All” and “Make it Happen,” then she did “Chain of Fools” with Aretha. I remember I just fell in love with her instantly. She was the first cassette I ever got. I wore her cassettes out. I had to buy like two or three because I used to listen to them so much.

Izik: When you were a kid, you were invited to go on The Oprah Winfrey Show , and you got to meet and write with Mariah. That was actually the first time that I

heard about you. My grandma and I taped that show because we had heard about a boy from Hawai‘i who got invited. Fast forward to today, whenever that comes up, the vibe I get is that you are really uncomfortable talking about it. Is it because it’s in your past, before you transcended and became Lina?

Lina: I guess that has a little to do with it. But it’s more because, you know, I don’t really like to bring attention to myself. It was a very good time in my life.

Izik: That’s a huge moment.

Lina: Not that I don’t appreciate it or don’t like talking about it. So many opportunities came my way after the show.

Izik: What happened afterward?

Lina: It brings back certain memories of what could’ve been or what didn’t happen. After the show I signed with Verity Records, a label under Sony. They focused on R&B and gospel music and that was the road I was going to go down. It just never really worked out. I think at the time, my age and my appearance kind of played a part in why things didn’t. It was a long time of being bound to this contract. From being on the show and signing with Sony, I couldn’t do a lot of things because I was still under contract, and they weren’t doing anything with me.

Izik: They shelved you.

Lina: Yes.

Izik: What does Mariah Carey smell like?

Lina: Mariah smells … rich. And, like, a diva, in the best way.

Izik: Yes, rich does have a scent.

Lina: Can you name an album from your childhood that has helped influence your writing or musical style?

These hands of mine are telling me to Put it down, let it go, Don't get hurt again, This love is fleeting,

Control evaporates from these hands, That turns into the rain that soaks my heart

But I had yet to bloom, You had yet to know, What colors and what shapes I was about to take, You will never know

Izik: Other than Mariah, it was always Hawaiian music, like Robi Kahakalau, Teresa Bright, Keali‘i Reichel, Uluwehi Guerrero. I don’t know if that shaped me as songwriter because as a kid I hated Hawaiian music. It just got under my skin, and I used to get so angry when my grandma played Hawaiian music. It wasn’t until I moved away to college that I realized how beautiful it was, because it gave me so much comfort when I was away from home. I look at the meanings behind what they’re writing, and it’s just so deep. That’s what I aspire to as a songwriter. Today, I realize it has shaped me. But as a teenager, I was listening to a lot of different music—Destiny’s Child, Lit, Papa Roach, Dashboard Confessional, The Offspring, 3LW, TLC. My first concert was actually Blink-182. But you asked what one album?

Lina: If you can.

Izik: I would say Mariah’s Butterfly . There’s a song on there called “Outside.” (Sings) “You will always be somewhere on the outside.” When I heard that song I was like, “This is me! I’m a little gay kid trapped in this body. Trapped in this Mormon body. Please! I’m on the outside!” Butterfly was the one that inspired me to start writing music and singing.

Lina: You had an amazing show called “The Empty Birdcage” at the Doris Duke Theatre.

Izik: Five people came to it.

Lina: There were definitely seven. (Izik laughs) This is the first show that I was not directly a part of, and it was awesome for me to sit back and take it all in. It really was the best show you’ve ever put on.

Izik: Thanks, girl.

Lina: What was the concept for “The Empty Birdcage?”

Izik: I really wanted people here in Hawai‘i to see that it’s important to focus on other things besides just the music. As an artist, it’s important to explore other avenues of expressions and mediums, otherwise you’ll

never know what you’re able to do outside of music— there’s video, there’s costume. Conceptually, I wanted to explore how we measure life without using time as the increment.

Lina: The show was kind of an escape for me. Coming from the Hawaiian music realm, from the people I work with and how I was raised, what you wear and how you look on stage, whether you’re doing a hula show or concert in Japan, appearance is such a big thing—as it should be, we’re representing our culture.

Izik: You’re a very prominent figure in the Hawaiian music scene. Where do you see Hawai‘i’s music scene going?

Lina: We’re in a good place right now. When I was in high school, singing traditional Hawaiian music wasn’t a popular thing to do. It’s still not mainstream, but I feel like there’s a lot of younger people loving and singing traditional Hawaiian music. And there are those who are innovating and trying different things with Hawaiian music that are awesome. You have some people who are attempting Hawaiian R&B, Hawaiian rap, spoken word, and I love it, but there’s a lot of people in the Hawaiian music community that feel Hawaiian music should only be a certain way. I’ve definitely had to struggle with that in my own career. But I love it, because if we don’t continue it, whether you’re doing traditional or contemporary, then we’ll lose it. Language-wise, music-wise, people are fighting for our culture and our people.

Izik: Let’s talk about love, real quick. So, like, will you make out with me and fill the void that my dad left? (Both laugh.) Do you feel like it’s hard to find love, you personally as a transgender woman?

Lina: I’ll take “Hell, yes” for 500 points. I think it has a lot to do with me and my insecurities. I feel like if I— wow, we’re getting deep.

Izik: Are you going cry? I love when people cry, it turns me on. (Both laugh)

Lina: If I put myself out there more and make a more conscious effort in trying to find love, I guess it would be easier.

Izik: There was a moment in our friendship when I had a crush on you. And I’m saying that in all seriousness. There was point where I was like, “I could be with Lina.” I could see myself being with you, and I felt very confused about my feelings. I was also drinking a lot of vodka at the time. Not to say that I needed it to fall in love with you! (Laughs) You’re gorgeous, Lina, and your energy—I want to be around you all the time. Hug me, in the Japanese garden of love, make love until the morning sun rises on a bed of Lei magazines! (Both laughs)

Lina: Thank you. I surround myself with people who I love and can love unconditionally. I remember a very rough time in your love life about four years ago. Are you more open to love now?

Izik: I’ve always been open to love. During my breakup, I went through stages of being sad and angry, but once I worked through those emotions I was able to stand at a very clear vantage point and see the situation for what it was very clearly. The shame is in staying in a situation that isn’t making you happy. I felt like I had a lot of responsibility in why that relationship didn’t work. Now that I’m able to see that, I’m able to move on, which is why I’ve been working out a lot more and trying to take care of my body. I was really in a horrible place. I was going out to Scarlet and getting wasted every single night. I just had such a negative attitude toward the gay community because I felt like, “They only like the pretty boys, and I’m never going to find someone.” Now that I’m in a clearer head space, I’m able to take away that rigid view of the community and see that it’s just me. I’m always ready for love. But I have to take care of myself first and fly like a bird.

FREEDOM

TEXT & IMAGES BY Marie Eriel Hobro

Shot from the street level of Honolulu Pride, a photographer’s flashy, uplifting photo essay showcases why Hawai‘i’s LGBTQ community members are her queeros.

Pride is a celebration that never ceases to amaze me. Simply participating in its festivities serves as a form of resistance against the evils of homophobia. Last year’s Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival was no different when it transformed Kalākaua Avenue and the Waikīkī Shell into places of solace for the LGBTQ community.

People from all walks of life came out to support Honolulu Pride on October 21, 2017. Despite the sweltering heat, attendees walked down the streets of Waikīkī dressed in glitzy ensembles as they cheered and waved rainbow flags in the balmy air. Radiant drag queens arrived dressed to the nines, and gender nonconforming teens came with their mugs beat to the gods and their heels high. It was reminiscent of other Pride parades I’ve attended in California, but this one held much more meaning for me, because it was my little sister’s first.

When she arrived mid-parade, my friends made the moment truly memorable by pulling her up onto a moving float as it rolled along the route. In that moment, nothing mattered but the look of pure bliss on my sister’s face. That act of kindness represented

all that is special about Pride—the strong camaraderie it brings out in strangers and the encouragement it gives youth to celebrate themselves and their fellow peers. As I watched her cheer next to a float packed with queens and Andrew Christian models, a Pride flag hanging over her shoulders, I remembered the day that she came out to me as bisexual when she was 14 years old. I found it incredible that she knew exactly who she was at such a young age.

The Pride flag that hung down her back like a cape seemed fitting, since in many ways my little sister is my hero. She may be the youngest in our family, but her strength and courage inspires me to be better every day. This is the same for the rest of my loved ones in the LGBTQ community. As a straight ally, I can never truly know what they experience, but what I do know is how much they inspire me with their bravery and unapologetic individuality. The people of this community have helped me find myself and heal from my own traumas in so many different ways. In my work, I do my best to honor them by showing others the light that they bring to the world. This collection of photos, along with other projects I’ve done, is an ode to this beautiful community.

IMAGE BY Carter Schneider

CONFETTI CONNECTION

TEXT BY Mitchell Kuga IMAGES BY Carter Schneider

Confetti System’s Nicholas Andersen didn’t see his craft-focused O‘ahu upbringing reflected in design, so he created his own world.

When he was little, Nicholas Andersen’s parents bought him a huge piñata for his birthday party, stuffing it with candy and—somewhat dangerously—quarters. When it finally ripped open, kids went diving for the candy, and adults were going “Hey! There’s money!” as a flurry of confetti rained down, recalls Linda Valite-Andersen, his mother. Meanwhile, the 4-year-old “just stood there and had the confetti flutter on top of him,” she says.

He might’ve been studying the piñata’s construction. When Andersen and Julie Ho, the duo behind Confetti System, exhibited at the Museum of Arts and Design’s 2014 biennial, they embellished a large wall with textural flurries of gold amorphous fringe. Andersen called the piece “Fringe Wall-Copper,” their take on a deconstructed piñata.

Confetti System is a design studio specializing in paper tassels, lei-like garlands, and avant-garde piñatas. (Imagine if Party City graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.) Since its inception in 2008, Confetti System’s work has been featured in window displays for the likes of Opening Ceremony and J.Crew, graced the cover of The New York Times’ T Magazine, and appeared in Beyoncé’s “1+1” music video. Their sensibility is the rare hybrid that looks just as appropriate jazzing up an intimate party—they did the décor for my wedding in December 2017—as it does displayed in art institutions.

Before starting Confetti System, Andersen and Ho worked together in the mid-2000s as craft stylists at Martha Stewart Living. The magazine industry was still flourishing and Stewart had recently been released from prison, creating a swell of attention around the brand. “It was great for a few years— and then we kind of lost ourselves in it,” says Andersen, who is 38 years old, sitting in Confetti System’s industrial Bushwick studio surrounded by stacks of paper and scraps of fabric. “Five days a week you’re entering this pristine world that’s not yours, that doesn’t have any link to your history.” Andersen, who is half-Filipino and was born and raised in Honolulu, and Ho, who was born in Taiwan and raised in New York, felt an itch to create work that reflected their upbringings. “Things like Hawaiian crafts or Chinese temple decorations, it was irrelevant [at Martha Stewart],” he says. So they decided to do it themselves.

This ethos of self-sufficiency was baked into Andersen’s upbringing. “He grew up in an environment where, if we needed something, we would make it,” says Valite-Andersen, a retired school teacher. While he was in utero, Andersen’s parents made customized fittings for sailboats. His father, who grew up hiking in Michigan in the do-it-yourself ethos of the 1970s, made Andersen his first backpack. And his grandmother, ValiteAndersen’s mother, let Andersen use her eyeshadow for art projects. “Even when he got the 32-box of crayons, the ultimate was still using eyeshadow palettes,” Valite-Andersen says. “He just had that knack for color.”

At Moanalua High School, Andersen funnelled this energy into composing the yearbook and making backdrops for school activities, often with his best friend, Karlo Bello. The two were inseparable. “We weren’t out,” Andersen says, “but we basically sort of protected each other. We would hide away and positively support each other.” Shortly after moving away for college— Andersen to University of Michigan and Bello to Maryland Institute of College of Art—Bello introduced Andersen to his classmate Daniel Haggerty. The couple got married in 2014 at Makapu‘u Lighthouse on O‘ahu’s east side. Bello describes Andersen as his “chosen family.”

In May 2017, Bello, Andersen, and three friends started a roving, sorta-monthly dance party called “Bubble_T” with the intention of spotlighting queer Asians in New York City nightlife. For the parties, Andersen is responsible for decor and graphic design, and Bello deejays and performs under his drag moniker Bichon. The collective has been featured in a New York Magazine fashion spread and was invited to throw a lunar new year party at MoMA PS1 in February 2018. There, Andersen transformed a sprawling gallery space into a fantasia of red fringe. A different party sported the loosely Hawai‘i-centric theme “TROPIKP_A_ZIA,” and had Spam musubis available for purchase.

As someone who has never really felt at home in traditional nightlife spaces, Andersen aims for comfort when decorating Bubble_T’s parties. “It’s deeply animal, to feel a little shrouded,” he says, citing the lush walks to school he took through Moanalua Gardens as an enduring influence. “The feeling of being surrounded by nature is so comfortable. I’m just doing that with garlands and tassels.”

Though he has lived in New York since 2001, Andersen says the hands-on craft of stripping, twisting, and binding materials connect him to something historically and spiritually Hawaiian. He calls Confetti System an antidote to homesickness. “It’s a meditation on things I remember doing in the fourth grade,” he says, “knitting together a little piece of paper and making it a different thing, and feeling good about it.”

He also links his care for craft to his late grandmother, who managed the Jams World factory in Kalihi. “In kindergarten, I’d go after school and roam the factory floors, looking at fabrics and colors and trimming threads for her,” he says. “It’s one of my most precious and favorite memories: Everyone having a good time making stuff.”

TRADING SPACES

TEXT BY Kylie Yamauchi

Arts advocate Donnie Cervantes aims to establish a cross-cultural exchange of ideas between local and visiting artists.

Donnie Cervantes greets me at the screen door of his home in Mānoa wearing an untucked button-up short-sleeve, blue shorts, and a small golden hoop in his ear. He invites me into his living area, which doubles as a personal gallery of contemporary art by his friends. Overlooking the dining table is a painting of a faceless nude male sitting in a rigid posture, thighs outspread and contorted, handless arms. Nearby, propped against a wall, is a canvas featuring a messily drawn spiral that could pass as a doodle. A lumpy cylindrical sculpture created by Amy Yao sits at the center of the dining table, turned so that the crudely etched face of a whiskered animal observes the room.

Cervantes moved to Honolulu in 2016, leaving a management job in the photography department at the University of Southern California but bringing with him an idea for an artist residency. “In the first year that I was here, I was lucky to fall in with the right group of people as far as contemporary art goes,” the 42-year-old artist and arts organizer says. “Someone’s advice was to just be there, show up, and try to go to as many things as you can, before starting [any projects].” He began visiting Aupuni Place, a temporary communal space for creating and displaying art located in the since-demolished Ward Warehouse. Eventually he met its executive director, Maile Meyer, and the two developed its current location in Kaka‘ako, changing the name slightly to Aupuni Space, where Cervantes is now director.

IMAGES BY Skye Yonamine

Having pursued photography in the bustling art environments of California and New York, Cervantes began to notice unique elements of Hawai‘i’s art scene that result from its isolated location. “As an artist working here, you have the freedom to develop your own unique perspective because you’re not constantly influenced with what’s happening in the art scene [globally],” he says. “The hindrance is there is less communication, and you could be doing amazing things but no one is seeing it.”

In 2017, to help address this, Cervantes and co-founder Aaron Wong launched Trades A.i.R., a visiting artist-in-residence program on O‘ahu, in partnership with the Honolulu Museum of Art and the department of art and art history at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. It aims to establish a cross-cultural exchange of ideas between local and visiting artists. During stays that last between four to six weeks, national and international artists interact with areas of the local community that align with their talents. This, in turn, allows local artists to network and showcase their own work. “[The program] is not just about going off to the beach and painting outside,” Cervantes says. “We want there to be a certain rigor in what [visiting artists] participate in. Learning about what people do here is as important to Trades as the people here learning about the artist.”

AUPUNI PLACE

Trades’ inaugural artist, Amy Yao, whose work has been featured internationally, learned about the work of UH art students during her residency. Michael Wang, the second artist in residence, worked with local environmental programs such as Hui Kū Maoli Ola Native Plant Nursery to develop his exhibition Extinct in the Wild , which focused on critically endangered species. The third and most recent visiting artist, Eve Fowler, organized an exhibition at Aupuni Space and interacted with UH art students, regularly working on campus in a studio granted by the university.

The most famous of Fowler’s work is a series of neon posters printed with quotes from 20th century writer Gertrude Stein in bold lettering, writings she interprets to be queer adages. One of these posters rests near the open balcony doors of Cervantes’ home. It reads, “This is it with it as it is.” The poster, which rests on the periphery of my line of sight, is hard to ignore. It seems to have the same effect on Cervantes, who suddenly diverts the conversation toward it. “Certain people might see me as queer or may not realize it,” he says. “Some people may look at this poster, and it appears encoded and complex, and it’s not like this is just queer art.” In both an interpretation of the artwork’s message and a declaration of self-identity, Cervantes adds, “I am the person I am, the things that I care about, the people that I care about, the good things that I try to do.”

Ala Moana Center

Hilton Hawaiian Village

Hyatt Regency Waikiki

International Market Place

OHANA® Waikiki Malia by Outrigger®

Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort

Royal Hawaiian Center

Sand Island Retail Store

Waikiki Beach Marriott

Waikiki Beach Walk®

The Shops at Wailea Whalers Village

Micronesia Mall

The Plaza Shopping Center

BY

IMAGE

Gerard Elmore

TAYLOR MADE

TEXT BY Eunica Escalante IMAGES BY Daeja Fallas and AJ Feducia

From Kaimuk kid to celebrity stylist, Taylor Okata shares his fabulous journey to making it in New York City.

As a young boy, Taylor Okata spent hours scouring the latest issues of i-D and Dazed and Confused at Tower Records, idolizing the angst-ridden teens living inside the magazines’ glossy pages. They were the cool kids, dressed iconically in 1990s amalgamations of postpunk band tees and hip-hop-inspired streetwear. “It wasn’t like anything I had seen before in Hawai‘i,” the stylist says. “It was so foreign, so extravagant, so raw.” To Okata, then just a kid in Kaimukī working summers at his dad’s bento shop, Okata Bento on Waialae Avenue, the world depicted in those pages was mere fantasy. Never did he imagine that a decade later it would be his reality.

When we speak via FaceTime, the 31-year-old is half a world away in a New York studio. He sits languidly in his chair, his confidence as much an accessory as is his Prada belt bag (also known as a fanny pack, for the uninitiated). It’s natural to assume that he’s off the clock. But underneath the Gucci sunglasses, Okata is all business. “There’s this drive in me,” he says between a styling appointment and a studio visit. “I never want to feel like I’m just chilling.”

It’s been a decidedly no-chill period for Okata. He has been a fashion commentator for E! News and CNN Tech and a fixture in Vogue’s New York Fashion Week street-style photos. He has styled fashion editorials for publications including Hypebeast and Vogue Italia. He has also been serving as the stylist for N.E.R.D following the hip-hop group’s seven-year hiatus.

His most widely known work is his styling of N.E.R.D’s music video for “Lemon,” the act’s hit single featuring Rihanna, in which dancer Mette Towley parades around in a cropped tank top and baggy jeans that hang below camouflage underwear. In February 2018, Okata also styled the group’s halftime performance for the 68th NBA All-Star Game. This included dressing Towley, the unofficial face of N.E.R.D’s new album, in a Swarovski crystal-encrusted thong and a pair of Adidas sweatpants made especially for her.

Okata’s ambition is the product of a childhood spent growing up between the Honolulu neighborhoods of Chinatown and Kaimukī. Living between two households (Okata’s parents divorced when he was a baby), he was compelled to be self-sufficient. “Mom worked multiple jobs and my dad had to run Okata Bento,” he says. “That basically left me and my sister on our own.” This drive got him through what he describes as a character-building adolescence, and was what ultimately motivated him to leave Hawai‘i. “If I grew up with a wealthy background, then I might not have had this desire to get out and see what was beyond what I grew up with,” Okata says.

He moved to New York in 2010 straight out of college, amid the Great Recession. “Everything was a mess,” he recalls. “No one was hiring.” He bounced between fashion gigs that included editorial assistant at a fashion photography agency and creative director of an obscure menswear showroom. Through this hustle, Okata was immersed in every aspect of the fashion industry, from styling to photography, marketing to commerce. In three years’ time, he was working for Adidas, helping transition Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto’s footwear line, Y-3, to e-commerce. Then Okata’s ambition pushed him further. He asked to visit Yamamoto’s Paris atelier to better understand the manufacturing process. His casual studio visit became a breakthrough. The atelier needed a stylist for Yamamoto’s new fall collection, and the director had heard of Okata’s previous experience. The day trip extended into nine seasons of styling men’s and women’s collections for the clothing line. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” he says.

THE BOWERY, NEW YORK CITY

But after two years, Okata became restless. “I was trying so hard to do a full-time job, but I didn’t feel fulfilled,” he says. “I hit a breaking point.” Recollections of rifling through magazines after school reignited his passion. He left his 9-to-5 job as a senior account executive at Adidas North America to pursue a freelance career as a stylist. For years, he built his clientele and worked around the clock to develop his brand. “It really lights a fire under your ass,” he says of freelancing. “People can either really do it or they can’t.”

It takes more than ambition to survive in the cutthroat world of New York fashion. Okata credits his Hawai‘i roots for his success. The talk-story culture that he grew up in gave him the charm to ease even his most apprehensive clients. “At the end of the day, a stylist’s biggest challenge is connecting with the client,” Okata says. “You need to know how to break that ice, how to talk story, otherwise you’re not on the same page. And in Hawai‘i, we’re so friendly, so open, and diverse—I take pride in that.”

OKATA BENTO

OKATA’S GUIDE TO HONOLULU

IMAGE BY Christian Cook

For shopping

I love shopping at Barrio to add to my ongoing vintage aloha shirt collection. Number 808 is another must-stop shop for more Hawai‘i nostalgia goods. Owens and Co. is great when I’m looking for gifts to bring back to the mainland.

For food

I eat at my dad’s shop, Okata Bento, as much as possible of course. Visiting my calabash ‘ohana at The Pig and the Lady and Piggy Smalls, as well as one of their farmers market stands, is a must. Other favorites include Pioneer Saloon because the mochiko chicken is bomb, Yama’s Fish Market, Tamura’s for all my beach grinds, Liliha Bakery at the original spot on Liliha for my late-night needs, Kaimuki Superette for my farm-to-table fix, Helena’s Hawaiian Food and Ethel’s Grill for everything.

For beaches

Being a townie, Kaimana and Tonggs are go-to beaches to link up with my friends. On O‘ahu’s North Shore, we’ll usually go to Ke Iki beach. Lanikai is great for a swim and an Instagram moment, but I avoid it on weekends.

KAIMANA BEACH

PARADE & FESTIVAL

IMAGE BY Kainoa Reponte

KEEPING UP WITH KIM

TEXT BY Mitchell Kuga IMAGES BY John Hook and Skye Yonamine

DJ and jetsetter Kim Ann Foxman splits her life between New York City, music festivals around the world, and her childhood home of O‘ahu.

Kim Ann Foxman rolls up on her bicycle wearing a leopard print baseball hat and a black T-shirt that reads in psychedelic font, “Journey to the center of the mind.” It is an unseasonably hot spring afternoon in Brooklyn. At the small, triangular patch of asphalt known as The Lot Radio, which borders the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, coteries of scruffy music nerds lounge on plastic chairs drinking beer and smoking cigarettes while house-inflected disco emanates from a reclaimed shipping container that houses The Lot’s DJ equipment. Foxman hugs a few friends before sitting down with a bottle of rosé and two plastic cups.

“This is my home away from home,” says Foxman, who plays a monthly radio show here. She spends more than half the year traveling, mostly spinning at festivals and nightclubs throughout Asia, Australia, and Europe. A few days ago, she was deejaying the grand opening party of ‘Alohilani Resort in Waikīkī. Two days from now, she’ll play Slakthuset nightclub in Sweden.

After working in nightlife for more than two decades, Foxman has established herself as an androgynous fashion model, singer, record producer, and go-to purveyor for a pastiche of underground experimental dance music. When she started to deejay internationally, around 2010, Foxman was one of few women in the male-saturated electronic dance world. “It’s a really fun job, to make people dance for a living,” she says, “but it is also exhausting. My jet lag is crazy.”

Amid the chaos of living out of a suitcase, the 41-year-old always returns to Hawai‘i. “I need to check in there once or twice a year, just to feel lucky that I grew up there,” says Foxman, who walked barefoot to Mānoa Falls nearly every weekend as a child. “If I don’t go there, it feels wrong. I start to go crazy if I don’t get the food or the nature.”

The self-proclaimed “island girl” landed in the international spotlight by accident. In the mid2000s, she sang on demos for her friend Andy Butler’s to-be-determined project intended for other artists. “I never considered myself a singer,” she says. But when the transgender singer Anohni—then known as Antony, of Antony and the Johnsons—heard the demo for “Athene,” she told Butler that it sounded like Foxman’s song. Suddenly, Foxman was in a band. When Hercules and Love Affair debuted its eponymous LP in 2008, it felt like a queer revelation. The group’s critically acclaimed disco-tinged pop thrust Foxman in front of massive crowds. “I was super petrified at first,” she says, “learning to swim with the sharks at sold-out festivals.”

MANA CRUISES

Growing up in Hawai‘i was marked by a different kind of accidental success: winning Miss Teen Hawaii Filipina at 13 years old. “I wanted to be Johnny Depp, not Barbie,” she says. “I tried so hard not to win.”

A self-proclaimed “total basketball dyke,” she carried her BZ bodyboard and fins down the runway for the swimsuit portion of the competition. “I remember crying backstage because I didn’t want to wear the lipstick and evening gown,” she says. After processing years of shame about the experience, she has embraced it. A few years ago, she used a dolled up picture of herself from the pageant for the cover of a 12inch record release. Her sash, reclaimed, reads: “Energy EP.”

Foxman started getting into rave culture while she was a senior at Maryknoll School, a private Catholic institution in Honolulu. To circumvent her mom’s curfew, she got a job at Axis, the now defunct all-ages nightclub in Puck’s Alley in Mānoa, first as a go-go dancer—“I had a huge crush on a girl that was a go-go dancer there, Summer Jensen,” Foxman says. “She went to Punahou”—and then as a bartender mixing nonalcoholic rave smoothies.

MĀNOA FALLS

Foxman continued to explore nightlife in San Francisco, where she moved to attend college in 1995, and then in New York City, where she relocated in 2011 to live with her girlfriend. They broke up three days after her move. She filled her time with collecting records, mostly at a secondhand shop in Brooklyn called The Thing, where every record was $2. Foxman would show up with a dust mask and a portable record player and sift through the unsorted clutter. “I’d find a gold mine of amazing records because everyone was getting rid of them,” says Foxman, whose record collection now numbers in the thousands. “It wasn’t cool.”

Unsatisfied with New York’s dance scene, Foxman started her own East Village party, Mad Clams at the Hole, bartending and deejaying from her vinyl collection. Over time, the party drew an eclectic and devoted following of lesbians, gay boys, and straight Lower East Side graffiti types who were attracted to Mad Clam’s anything-goes debauchery— and Foxman’s musical vision.

HUNGRY EAR RECORDS

PAIKO BOTANICAL BOUTIQUE

Since leaving Hercules and Love Affair after its first album, around 2010, Foxman has launched her solo career, releasing the vogue-inflected single “Creature” and starting her own record label, FireHouse. It’s named after her loft, which is housed in an old fire station in East Williamsburg and has a fully equipped recording studio in the basement. This is where she recorded a new project with two friends called Pleasure Planet, to be released in the summer of 2018. “It’s really trippy,” she says. “I’m really proud of it.”

As gray clouds descend over The Lot, I scurry home. Shortly after leaving, a crack of thunder rips through the sky, and torrents of rain descend. After getting home, soaked, I receive a text message from Foxman: It’s a video of her prancing through the now empty lot, rain pouring, as sirens blare over the dance music.

EXPLORING KAIMUKĪ

TEXT BY Kainoa Reponte IMAGES BY Kainoa Reponte and Jonas Maon

Welcome to one of Honolulu’s most charming neighborhoods, a quaint refuge just beyond Waik k ’s touristic tumult.

Ensconced on the south side of O‘ahu, the classic suburb of Kaimukī offers unexampled eccentricity and quaintness. It emerged in the early 20th century, before which you would have been greeted by ostriches and cattle who occupied the grounds. Today along its main thoroughfare, Wai‘alae Avenue, you will find a mixture of well-established businesses and chic shops that contribute to the area’s homegrown ethos. Living and working in this neighborhood has exposed me to its vibrant, ongoing renaissance, making this district my go-to when playing tour guide for friends. On a sunny Saturday morning, we’ll stop by the Kapi‘olani Community College farmers market to pick up fresh blooms and snag samples from some of the diverse food vendors before heading to Wai‘alae Avenue to enjoy a cold brew and warm pastry. We’ll pass the rest of the afternoon exploring some of Kaimukī’s quirky shops, catching glimpses of Diamond Head and its soft ridges between avenues, and breathing in the serene, cooling breeze at every corner. But regardless of what day you visit, there is always something to discover in this unhurried neighborhood.

MUD HEN WATER

3452 Waialae Ave.

Whether it be for Saturday brunch, when dewy forenoon sunshine floods the beautifully designed space, or for a well-crafted evening cocktail, when outdoor lights twinkle overhead next to a colorful Case Maclaim mural, Mud Hen Water is a favorite gathering place on Wai‘alae Avenue. This restaurant, helmed by chef Ed Keeney, has an impressive menu that features modern regional dishes inspired by fresh fish and produce from local farmers. mudhenwater.com

SALVAGE PUBLIC STUDIO

1151 12th Ave., Suite C

Salvage Public is the epitome of contemporary Hawaiian menswear. A reinterpretation for the modern-day mondain, each garment features carefully considered design details with references to old Hawai‘i and urban Honolulu, from traditional kapa patterns on its smock shirts to its ripstop pants and stone-washed denim jackets. The studio space is open every weekend for those interested in learning more about the brand founded by Joseph Serrao, Noah Serrao, and Nāpali Souza. salvagepublic.com

MUD HEN WATER

3472 Waialae Ave.

This local barbershop evokes nostalgia with its mid-century modern furniture, vintage décor from the 1950s surf and car cultures, and traditional haircuts and shaves. From the building’s original pizza shaped-signage to the wooden barber stations that were crafted on O‘ahu, Golden Hawaii Barbershop is full of careful details worth exploring while you get sharpened up for a day on the town. The shop also sells small quantities of retro-inspired surfboards shaped by Eric Walden, a Kaimukī resident, under the label Golden Hawaii Surf Designs. goldenhawaiibarbershop.com

THE PUBLIC PET

3422 Waialae Ave.

Started by Jordan Lee and Matthew Guevara, whose two dogs, Lola and Phiefer, were the inspirations for their store, this urban pet supply store carries goods for dogs and cats from local designers like Roberta Oaks and Dee Oliva, as well as companies that align with the owners’ values and aesthetics, like Dog for Dog and Wildebeest. thepublicpet.com

GOLDEN HAWAII BARBERSHOP

THE PUBLIC PET

GOLDEN HAWAII

BREADSHOP

3408 Waialae Ave.

An artisanal boulangerie in the heart of Kaimukī, the Breadshop serves a wide variety of freshly baked goods daily. Its owner, Chris Sy, focuses on making traditional breads, like semolina and ciabatta, as well as creating local fusions such as a furikake focaccia, which features a traditional Italian flatbread sprinkled with salty Japanese seasoning. Grab a loaf and some fromage for a perfect summer afternoon picnic. breadsbybreadshop.com

DA SHOP

3565 Harding Ave.

Bess Press has been a fixture of Hawai‘i’s publishing scene since 1979, and Da Shop is its premier destination. This bookstore maintains a rotating list of well-known Hawai‘i and Oceania classics sure to complement any bibliomaniac’s collection alongside a smart selection of contemporary international literature and children’s books. The modern space is also peppered with lounge chairs you can settle into while reading mo‘olelo (stories) of ancient Hawai‘i. dashophnl.com

BREADSHOP

OTTO CAKE

1127 12th Ave.

With more than 286 flavors in his repertoire, baker Scott “Otto” McDonough whips up handmade cheesecakes from scratch. The bakery’s wizardly décor, paired with its perfectly creamy treats, will leave you pondering the secret behind his indulgent and original cheesecakes, which come in flavors such as strawberry basil lime or poi and coconut with macadamia nuts. ottocake.com

VIA GELATO

1142 12th Ave.

As soon as you walk into this café, a piquant aroma of freshly pressed waffle cones greets you––followed by an aproned employee explaining what popular flavors the case holds this week. Owner Melissa Bow has been mixing flavors with local tastes in mind since 2012. After a heavy dinner, stop by Via Gelato to cleanse your palate with scoops of the li hing pineapple sorbet or strawberr y ume sorbet––flavors you won’t find anywhere else. viagelatohawaii.com

VIA GELATO

BEAN ABOUT TOWN

3538 Waialae Ave., No. 101

In 2004, Olivier Vetter began serving coffee made with a timeless lever-and-pull machine from the back of an auto rickshaw on the streets of London. In 2018, Vetter brought Bean About Town to Kaimukī. Here, Parisian charm is infused with tropical allure through details like the 1955 Faema Urania espresso machine that pulls an unbeatable shot and the vintage Hawaiian vinyl covers that hang on the café’s walls. On an unhurried day, spend a quiet hour peoplewatching from the terrace with a cannelé and cold brew. beanabouttown.com

THE CURB KAIMUKĪ

3408 Waialae Ave., No. 102

Graduating from barista to owner, Devin Uehara-Tilton has taken the helm of The Curb with his husband, Ross. This coffee shop is bedecked with details conceived of and created by loyal regulars, from the “Order Here” sign to the beautiful wood bar. The space represents the picturesque neighborhood’s sense of community and compassion, and its mission is simple: serve great, ethically sourced coffee; give back to the community; and pique interest in the developing coffee culture in Honolulu. thecurbkaimuki.com

THE CURB KAIMUKĪ

PARTY PEOPLE

TEXT BY Al Town IMAGES BY Marie Eriel Hobro

The Contingency is about creating events for queer, transgender, and intersex people of color in Hawai‘i.

Two years ago, The Contingency started out as somewhat of a joke, with five friends— Kaleipumehana Cabral, Lala Openi, Jason Perez, Jasmine Gatlin, and Taryn “Tea” Cunningham—often referring to their band as the “queer contingency.” Today, The Contingency has organized and created a space for O‘ahu’s community of queer, transgender, and intersex people of color, or QTIPOC, to gather. July 2018 marks the one-year anniversary of Kings, Queens, and Inbtwns, a monthly event held at one of Chinatown Honolulu’s most popular bars, Manifest.

Cabral and Perez met while studying to obtain their master’s degrees in social work at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. A mutual friend introduced them to Openi, a San Francisco Academy of Art graduate new to O‘ahu who was looking to connect with the QTIPOC on the island’s east side. Hawai‘i-born Cabral spent time in Oakland during her undergraduate studies at University of California at Berkeley, and she and Openi soon discovered they were involved in the same scene there. “We would always reminisce about the parties in the Bay, the queer parties,” Openi says, referring to the type of events they felt Hawai‘i lacked. One was Ships in the Night, a monthly themed dance party that raised money for community movements. Soulovely, a daytime event, was another.

One year later, Kings, Queens, and Inbtwns debuted at Manifest with energetic music and punchy visuals projected on the walls to match. There was the petty Prince comebacks, pussy power animations, and Janelle Monae’s “Pynk” video in which she wears vagina pants, to name a few. “Even though it’s like a dance party, I kind of look at it like a community meeting,” Cabral says. The events are meant to create a “refuge,” an intentional space for QTIPOC conversations. “Even though we welcome everyone who supports us, we’re specifically carving something out for a marginalized community, and that can butt up against a lot of people’s ideals in Hawai‘i,” Cabral says. Unlike the larger queer scene, which is more of a “come one, come all” attitude, she says, The Contingency’s focus is providing space specifically for QTIPOC.

Since its debut, the Contingency has gained the support of regular volunteers and a growing community. “And we have more theme parties coming,” Perez says. He grins mischievously at Openi, who adds, “We’re all about creating the spaces you want to see.”

MANIFEST

GUIDES

BY

IMAGE

John Hook

Diamond Head State Monument

Hawai‘i’s most recognizable landmark includes the Diamond Head Summit Trail, a historic hike with an elevation gain of 560 feet. The view at the top is worth it with picture-perfect postcard views of Waikīkī Beach, Honolulu, the Wai‘anae Mountain Range, and the southeastern O‘ahu shoreline.

Diamond Head State Monument off Diamond Head Rd. between Makapu‘u Avenue and 18th Ave. in Honolulu, O‘ahu.

Wang Chung’s

2424 Koa Ave., Waikīkī, O‘ahu WANGCHUNGS.COM

Tucked away in the heart of Waikiki, this cozy karaoke bar and kitchen is a popular hangout to belt out some ’80s favorites, showtunes, and local island classics. Don't miss Sunday brunch.

Manifest

32 N. Hotel St., Honolulu, O‘ahu MANIFESTHAWAII.COM

Located in historic Chinatown, this neighborhood coffee shop is situated within the heart of the district’s arts and entertainment district and slings espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes using locally sourced beans from a Waialua farm. By late afternoon and evening, the space turns into a bar attracting the after-work downtown crowd.

Bar, Ono Eats, Tailgating

Leather Soul

With locations in Waikiki and Downtown Honolulu, Leather Soul has been serving visitors and locals alike for more than 12 years. Featuring Hawai‘i’s best selection of fine men’s shoes and accessories, Leather Soul Waikiki is Hawai‘i’s exclusive retailer of respected shoe brands, such as Alden, John Lobb, Edward Green, and Saint Crispin’s. Leather Soul Waikiki also features Rimowa suitcases, and is Hawai‘i’s exclusive retailer of Briefing, Felisi, and Globe-Trotter. Leather Soul Downtown features exclusive collaboration aloha shirts by Reyn Spooner and Hawai‘i’s most extensive selection of Made-in-USA New Balance sneakers.

Leather Soul is located in Royal Hawaiian Center at 2233 Kalakaua Ave., and in the Stangenwald building at 119 Merchant St. in Honolulu, O‘ahu. For more information, visit leathersoul.com.

Island inspired luxury in the heart of Waikiki at

Coast through your vacation in our laid-back, tropical atmosphere and take in the island’s beautiful views from our floor-to-ceiling windows. Unwind at our lounge pool with private cabanas and feast at The Lanai, a tapas-style eatery. Weekly musical entertainment and special events throughout the year create an exiting buzz for our location among travelers and locals!

‘Ehukai Beach Park

This legendary beach fronts the Banzai Pipeline surf break, a popular spot which offers up perfect barreling waves surfed by local and professional surfers alike.

‘Ehukai Beach Park is located at 59 Kamehameha Hwy. on the North Shore of O‘ahu.

‘Iolani Palace

364 S. King St. Honolulu, O‘ahu IOLANIPALACE.ORG.

The official residence of Hawai‘i’s former monarchy, ‘Iolani Palace is a marvel of opulence, innovation, and political intrigue. Come enjoy one of the most spectacular living restorations in all of Polynesia.

Finding your Hawaiian Paradise through representation of Buyers, Sellers & Investors of Single Family Homes, Condominiums and Townhouses throughout O‘ahu.

LUXURY COLLECTION SPECIALIST

80 S. Pauahi St.

Honolulu, O‘ahu

SCARLETHONOLULU.COM

The downtown nightclub Scarlet is an explosion of fun with its constant rotation of new deejays, go-go dancers, appearances by celebrity drag performers, and themed party nights.

1161 Nuuanu Ave.

Honolulu, O‘ahu

BARRIOVINTAGE.COM

A Chinatown thrifting favorite that houses an eclectic collection of vintage styles, ranging from aloha shirts and structured party dresses from the ’40s to bold geometric prints from the ’90s.

Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm

Enjoy tours through this Upcountry farm, which boasts more than 40 varieties of aromatic lavender, alongside lavender tea or coffee and lavender scones. Partake in daily guided walking and cart tours, or simply explore the grounds at your own leisure and pace.

Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm is located at 1100 Waipoli Rd. in Kula on Maui. For more information, visit aliikulalavender.com.

Like a lovely Parisian street bistro, Belle Surf Café serves an assortment of crêpes both savory (salmon, bacon, chicken, and mozzarella) and sweet (strawberry, banana, Nutella, and honey), along with expertly prepared, small-batch specialty coffee.

Belle Surf Café is located at 1794 S. Kihei Rd. in Kihei, Maui. For more information, visit bellesurfcafe.com.

Belle Surf Café

Resort Life on Maui

At Montage Kapalua Bay, you will feel embraced by genuine Hawaiian hospitality and culture. Set atop picturesque Kapalua Bay on Maui, Hawaii, guests will enjoy a residential resort lifestyle, regionally inspired cuisine at Cane & Canoe, championship golf, watersports, and an award-winning spa oasis, Spa Montage Kapalua Bay.

(888) 708-3835

montagehotels.com/kapaluabay

The legendary shores of Kapalua Bay await your arrival. TAT

Lahaina, Maui

Onomea Tea

Overlooking its namesake, Onomea Bay, the company’s organic Hawai‘i Island teas are all grown and processed on island using all natural and sustainable farming methods. Tea tours and tastings are offered by reservation only.

Onomea Tea is located at 27-604 Alakahi Pl. in Papaikou on Hawai‘i Island. For more information, visit onotea.com.

Kona Historical Society

81-6551 Mamalahoa Hwy. Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i Island KONAHISTORICAL.ORG

The Kona Historical Society’s weekly Portuguese bread baking program is a delightful study of the senses. Continuing a cultural tradition brought over by the first wave of Portuguese immigrants to the islands, the welcomes visitors to join in on the baking every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Paniolo Adventures

Mile 13.2, Kohala Mountain Rd. Waimea, Hawai‘i Island PANIOLOADVENTURES.COM

Experience open-range horseback riding with Paniolo Adventures at Ponoholo Ranch. The 11,000-acre working cattle ranch, which stretches from mountain to ocean, offers the most spectacular views of the Kona and Kohala coastlines, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualālai volcanoes, and Haleakalā on the island of Maui.

Lava Lava Beach Club

Whether you are exploring the splendor of Kaua‘i or the hot lava on the Big Island, Lava Lava Beach Club is the new standard for island-inspired cuisine and creative cocktails served up toes-in-the-sand style. Lava Lava Beach Club Big Island stakes its claim on laidback luxury with an award-winning beachfront restaurant and four private beach cottages complete with outdoor showers and upscale amenities. Lounge surfside and enjoy relaxed Hawaiian cuisine and spectacular sunsets featuring live music and hula, and don’t forget the classic umbrella drinks. At the northern end of the island chain, Lava Lava Beach Club Kaua‘i crafts the same tropical paradise with oceanfront, island-inspired cuisine. Embrace the Hawaiian surf shack vibe with ono-licious food and sandy toes seating. Located on the beach at the Kaua‘i Shores Hotel, the gay-owned and -operated Lava Lava Beach Club encourages guests to celebrate something every day. Find Lava Lava Beach Club in the Waikoloa Beach Resort on Hawai‘i Island, and on Kaua‘i in Kapa‘a at 420 Papaloa Rd.

For more information, visit lavalavabeachclub.com.

Aloha Exchange

At this Kalāheo surf shop, which specializes in sourcing hard-to-find, quality surf and skate gear from Hawai‘i and around the United States, shoppers can find apparel from lines like Portland-based Brixton or wetsuits from California-based Seea, alongside local designs by Cassandra Rull and surfboards made in Kōloa by Will Scovel.

Aloha Exchange is located at 2-2535 Kaumuali‘i Hwy. in Kalaheo on Kaua‘i. For more information, visit thealohaexchange.com.

Waimea Canyon State Park

Known as “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” this majestic vista is accessible daily during daylight hours. At two lookouts, visitors are treated to this geological wonder’s sweeping and dramatic array of panoramic colors, glorious waterfalls, and frequent rainbows. In the adjacent forest reserve, there are various trails for hikers of all abilities.

For directions or more information, visit dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/kauai.

Ko Bakery

4302 Rice St. Lihu‘e, Kaua‘i KOBAKERY.COM

Started by Chris Spinosa, Morris Wise, and their respective husbands, the Kaua‘i bakery serves up layered custom cakes, baked goods, and sweet treats infused with island-sourced ingredients.

Little Fish Coffee

3900 Hanapepe Rd. Hanapepe, Kaua‘i LITTLEFISHCOFFEE.COM

For a morning pick-me-up, head to Little Fish Coffee for its freshly baked sticky buns, croissants, and hand-brewed Ka‘ū coffee. Try the Midnight Marauder—four shots of espresso and sweetened condensed milk that will have you bouncing off the diversely decorated walls—and take advantage of the Wi-Fi, an amenity hard to come by in sleepy Hanapēpē town.

A

HUI HOU, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

The future is m h .

IMAGE BY Carter Schneider