Hawaiian Aloha Shirts are at least as popular as ever, and are finding a resurgence among vintage and retro clothing fans.

Ellery J. Chun, owner of a dry goods store in Honolulu that sold the tropical print fashions in the 1930's was the first to produce a commercially-made island sport shirt, what he called the Aloha Shirt.

These Aloha Shirts featured tropical-print fabrics, with a casual style and fit. Soon their production expanded to meet the demands of tourists seeking exotic souvenirs.

The fabrics were generally designed in Hawaii and printed in California. They were sent back to Hawaii to be sewn into shirts and the finished product returned to mainland markets. However, a shipping strike in 1936 forced the companies to explore the local island market.

The years 1936-1939 were big growth years for Hawaii's garment industry in general and each company typically came out with 15 or more new shirt designs each year. After World War II, Hawaii's greater visibility in the world boosted Aloha Shirt sales and local events like Aloha Week (started in 1948) and Aloha Friday cemented the place of the Aloha Shirt.