"Hawaiian Shirt Fabrics"

Hawaiian shirts have been made in as many different fabrics as there are fabrics. They all have differing feels, durability, and uses.

What may be appropriate for chilly upcountry luaus (a longsleeved thick cotton), would not be appropriate for a garden party in the sun (an elegant painted silk panel hawaiian shirt).

Some fabrics are relatively new, and others are as ancient as man. Durable, comfortable hemp has recently surfaced again with aloha prints, and we are glad to see its return. Brightly hued, colorfast synthetics such as the poly family are making a comback, and that is also good to see.

As scientists find more ways to make new beautiful fabrics and existing fabrics more beautiful, it is sure to appear on a wonderful hawaiian shirt!

Barkcloth - This is a rare fabric, made from the bark of the Tapa tree in Hawaii. It is made by pounding the fibers together, not by weaving. "Tapa" fabric refers to its print style, and is not the same as barkcloth made from the Tapa tree. Actual barkcloth is rare.

Cotton - comfortable, absorbant, and breathable, cotton is one of the principle fabrics in the world. Entire economies are based upon cotton, and most consumers today insist upon 100% cotton for clothes that will be against the skin. Because cotton wrinkles, it is sometimes blended with other fabrics. A cotton-linen blend is a very wearable hawaiian shirt!

Cotton can stand high temperatures during washing, and dyes well. It can bel bleached to restore white garments to pure white, but this may yellow chemically finished cottons or remove color in dyed cottons. Cotton can be starched and ironed. Cotton also fades, so many collectors will hand wash and line-dry their cottons as they would their silks and synthetics to preserve the colors for as long as possible.

"Bark cloth", today a cotton weave that is very dense and textured. Traditional Hawaiian barkcloth is something entirely different (see above).
"Flannel cotton" is plain or twill weave with a slight nap on one or both sides.
"Gingham" is a lightweight, washable, stout fabric that is woven in checks, plaids or stripes.
"Muslin" is a sheer to coarse plain woven cotton fabric. Muslin comes in "natural" color or is dyed.
"Pima Cotton", also "Egyptian cotton", is an excellent quality cotton fabric.
"Poplin" is a plain weave fabric with a cross-wise rib.

Hemp - Yes, it is legal to own a hemp shirt, and no, you cannot get high smoking it. Hemp fabric is like linen in both feel and appearance. Hemp withstands water better than any other textile product, but it wrinkles easily. Hemp probably should not be creased excessively or there may be wear and breakage of the fibers.

Hemp is said to be 20 times more durable than cotton, which is a tall claim (but true). It gets more comfortable with aging, and holds its color very well. Hand washing and line drying will make a hemp vintage hawaiian shirt last even longer.

Linen - elegant and durable, many families have linen tablecloths or bedclothes handed down from previous generations. Linen is a fabric for living, and is at least twice as durable as cotton. Linen is good for these uses as it is crisp when ironed and is naturally lint-free.

Linen does not like to be pressed or creased. When inspecting a vintage hawaiian shirt in linen, be sure to look closely at the creased areas such as the collar and hems for damage.

"Damask", a reversible jacquard weave patterned in satin or plain weave.

Polyester - has come back into style recently in the form of huge prints on loosely draped urban wear, which has a style and theme of its own. I have examples of this type of urban statement with anime characters, the space shuttle, and the Incredible Hulk.

Poly holds its colors. Actually, it is its colors, polyester is a strand of flexible plastic. Not surprisingly, it melts at even medium temperatures and should NOT be ironed. Polys are often used in blends as what they lack in one characteristic they more than make up in another.

Polyester is also strong, it wears well, and cleans easily.

Rayon - this is a synthetic material in the literal sense, but was first made from corn. Rayon is made from synthetic cellulose, and cotton is made from natural cellulose. It is a fabric you already own somewhere in your wardrobe, and you will be collecting the lion's share of your hawaiian shirts in this fabric.

Never say that you 'don't like synthetics' and include rayon. It has many of the wearability comforts of cotton, and the durability of silks (well, almost), and it has been around since 1910. When it comes to vintage Hawaiian shirts, rayon is king!

Rayon is strong, extremely absorbent, comes in a variety of qualities and weights, and can be made to resemble natural fabrics. Rayon can be ironed, but check the care label first. Rayon drapes well, and has a soft, silky feel.

It can be hard to identify rayon to the untrained eye as it can have a smooth, napped, or bulky surface. Rayon wrinkles easily and may stretch when wet and shrink when washed. But it also holds colors well over the decades.

Rayons ability to hold bright colors has made it the palette of choice for decades of the best shirtmakers on the planet. Look at any book on fabrics, and see where your eye is drawn... the majority will be rayon.

Silk - the word is used in the same regard as "caviar" and "gold". The romans even valued silk and gold equally by weight! Silk is harder than steel, yet silk gives and caresses, molds to your body in the wind, and warms as well as it cools.

Silks are colorfast, do not shrink, and should be hand washed and hand dried. As silk dries very fast, drying is easy to do. It should not be wrung out, but should be rolled in a towel. Silk may be yellowed by using a too hot iron.

China has a stranglehold on the silk industry, and it always has. It is rare that you will find a silk shirt that says "Made in Hawaii" and if you do, it is probably inaccurate. To this day the Chinese insist on doing the printing, and the most you can find is anywhere else is preprinted silk fabric. In otherwords, don't immediately downgrade the value of your shirt! And a shirt does NOT have to be of silk to be a good vintage hawaiian shirt.

Wool - vintage Hawaiian shirts in wool are uncommon, but not unheard of. It gets very cold way uphill!

Wool has a reputation for being scratchy, and many people dismiss it for wear against the skin, and can all the wearing features of a synthetic but will breathe. Wool can be from any fur-bearing animal, and is commonly available from sheep, llamas (vicunas and alpacas too), rabbits (angora), goats (mohair and cashmere), camels (camel hair), chinchilla (chinchilla)... I have even seen shirts made from the family dog!

Wool is best sent to the dry cleaners....

Flannel wool is a soft, lightweight fabric with a nap on one or both sides.