Pai'ea Projects

The Fitted + Pai‘ea Projects Waikīkī Jersey celebrates a place known around the world, with a history deeply rooted in Hawaiian royalty.

Inspired by the Black Mamba’s iconic 8 & 24, the jersey carries a connection home to Waikīkī and Duke Kahanamoku. Born 8/24, Duke became an Olympic champion and the father of modern surfing.

Across the jersey is our ‘Ele‘ele ‘Ōlino print, inspired by Waikīkī’s sunlit waters. ‘Ōlino describes the dazzling light created as the sun shines through the water. ‘Ele‘ele means black.

Pai‘ea Projects grounds streetwear in mo‘olelo, carrying stories of Hawai‘i into pieces made for today. Pai‘ea, meaning “hard-shelled crab,” was a name given to Kamehameha, the warrior chief who united the Hawaiian Islands.

Join us Sunday, August 23 at 9 a.m. at Kings & Queens for the release, featuring an acoustic performance by Mistah 83 and sherbet floats by Asato Family + Summer Club.

Our brethren will be performing a special acoustic performance on Sunday, August 23 at Kings & Queens for the release of the Fitted + Pai‘ea Projects Waikīkī Jersey.

This jersey celebrates the world-renowned destination which was once a sacred playground for Hawaiian Royalty. Inspired by the late Black Mamba and his iconic #’s 8 and 24, the jersey honors Waikīkī’s own connection through Duke Kahanamoku, born on August 24, Olympic champion and godfather of modern surfing.

The ‘Ele‘ele ‘Ōlino print on the jersey is also rooted in the mo‘olelo (stories) of Waikīkī. ‘Ōlino describes the dazzling light of sunlit ocean waters; ‘Ele‘ele means black in Hawaiian - together forming the visual and symbolic foundation of this jersey, where light and shadow, past and present, meet.

DATE: Sunday, August 23
TIME: 9:00 A.M. SHARP
LOCATION: Kings & Queens
- Exclusive in-store release only
- Not available anywhere else
EXPERIENCE: Special live performance by Mistah 83

Releasing Sunday, August 23 at 9 a.m. exclusively at Kings & Queens is the Fitted + Pai‘ea Projects Waikīkī Jersey.

We hana hou the ‘Ele‘ele ‘Ōlino print for a Black Mamba-inspired basketball jersey celebrating the history of Waikīkī, known today around the world as a visitor destination and remembered in our mo‘olelo as a gathering place for Hawaiian royalty.

Our kūpuna used ‘ōlino to describe the bright, dazzling light created when the sun shines through the water and casts its glare along the ocean floor. ‘Ele‘ele means “black” in Hawaiian. The jersey draws inspiration from the late Black Mamba whose jersey numbers were 8 and 24 – chapters of his championship legacy. That story finds a home in Waikīkī, where Duke Kahanamoku – born on 8/24 – grew to become an Olympic swimming champion and the godfather of modern surfing.

From Honolulu to San Diego; from Kapālama to Kaka‘ako; from Namotu to Waikīkī. The founders of Fitted, Pai‘ea Projects and Kings & Queens share years of friendship shaped by art, design, culture, surfing and family.

That connection is memorialized on the jersey with an exclusive tag featuring an ‘Ōlelo Noe‘au about Kamehameha the Great, also known as Pai‘ea, and his beloved Queen Ka‘ahumanu:

“‘Eono moku a Kamehameha ua noa iā ‘oukou, akā ʻo ka hiku o ka moku ua kapu ia na‘u.”

“Six of Kamehameha’s islands are free to you, but the seventh island is sacred, and is for me alone.”

Following the conquest of O‘ahu, Kamehameha established royal centers in Waikīkī and the surrounding area. His seventh “island” in this saying refers to Ka‘ahumanu. We chose the proverb for a jersey made with Kings & Queens and grounded in the mo‘olelo of Waikīkī.

FITTED + PAI‘EA PROJECTS
WAIKĪKĪ JERSEY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 | 9 A.M.

Exclusively at Kings & Queens

In celebration of Lā Hoʻihoʻi Eā, the PP x Fitted “Kona” and “Kohala” Collections will be 50% off. Sale applies in-store, at fitted.com, and paieaprojects.com running from 7/31 - 8/2.

Rise to the challenge, Cowboys! Paiea Projects is rooting for the to bring the title back to Moku O Keawe.

Aloha lā hānau e Paoa!
Born August 24, 1890 (8/24) in Honolulu, Paoa was the hiapo (eldest) of nine children. His mother, Julia Pa‘akonia Lonokahikina Paoa, and father, Duke Halapu Kahanamoku, both had close ties to the family of  Pai‘ea (King Kamehameha The Great). His father was named by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop – the founder of the Kamehameha Schools – in honor of the arrival of England’s Duke of Edinburgh in 1869. Hence, the hiapo of ‘Ohana Kahanamoku – who we know as “Duke” or “The Duke” – was lovingly called “Paoa” by his family.
 
We pour out some kamapane (champagne) to the legacy of this moho (champion) with the Waikīkī Paoa Collection:

🧢FITTED + Paiea Projects Aloha 9FIFTY Snapback
🧢FITTED + Paiea Projects Kamehameha 9FIFTY Snapback
🏀FITTED + Paiea Projects Paoa Jersey
🌊FITTED + Paiea Projects Paoa Pelagic Aquatek HFS

The Fitted + Paiea Projects Paoa Jersey (Black) features an ‘Ōlino ‘Ele‘ele print. ‘Ōlino is the word nā kupuna (the ancestors) used to describe the “bright, brilliant, dazzling, gleaming; brightness, glare” that the sun creates when it shines through the water and creates a glare on the bottom of the ocean. ‘Ele‘ele is “black” in Hawaiian as this basketball jersey draws inspiration from the late Black Mamba whose numbers were “8” and “24” and who was also a champion like Paoa.

The numbers on the tag of The Fitted + Paiea Projects Paoa Jersey – 12, 20, 24 – commemorate the years Paoa won medals at the Olympics.

In 1917 – in the prime of his swimming career – Paoa famously rode a legendary mile-long, big Waikīkī wave from Kalehuawehe (Castle’s) to Kapuni (Canoe’s).

We celebrate Paoa’s legendary ride at Kalehuawehe with an ‘Ōlelo Noeau on the Fitted + Paiea Projects Paoa Jersey tag:

Ka Nalu Ha‘i O Kalehuawehe
(The rolling surf of Kalehuawehe)

Today, the hydro foiling community calls linking swells downwind from The Elk’s Club to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, “The Duke Run.” These waveriders retrace Paoa‘s famous mile-long ride from Kalehuawehe, honoring his memory on modern equipment.

🤙🏾Dropping Sat. 8/24 at 11am HST

The Waikahalulu Kou Collection with honors the traditional Hawaiian name of the Honolulu Chinatown area, featuring a basketball jersey inspired by the banned Cream City jersey of the Milwaukee Bucks, and a basketball shorts featuring Uncle Sig's artwork of the Waikahalulu streets. The #8 pays tribute to the Chinese influence in the area, representing good luck in Pākē culture.

Available today at 10am on paieaprojects.com

When we were designing the Waikahalulu Kou jersey with Kūha’o wanted the number 8 on it because ‘ewalu is lucky in Pake culture. The main reason has to do with the pronunciation of the word for the number 8 in China. It is pronounced "ba" and sounds like the word for prosperity which is pronounced "fa.” Another reason why the number 8 could be considered lucky is because it is a perfect symmetrical shape similar to the Pai’ea Projects logo. The number 8 seems fitting for a jersey that pays tribute to Chinatown and the area’s Inoa Hawai’i.

Select sizes of the Puʻukoholā 2.0 Basketball Jersey and Shorts still available at our online store. Link in bio.

Text the homies and let them know the Pu’ukoholā 2.0 collection drops at 11 a.m. HST today at Fitted, fitted.com and paieaprojects.com 📲