Haole from Hawaii - Haole Brand
I think we take a lot of our culture education for granted. Most of what we know comes from dated textbooks, word of mouth, or from a corny predictable food host on the Travel Channel. That being said, the best way to learn about a culture is straight from the source. Coby started Haole Brand to spread Aloha with his clothes, but to also share his culture to the mainland through his podcast (Hawaii Kine Tings) and pop-ups around Oregon. He’s easy to spot at events as you can identify his VW Bus, and his enthusiastic personality.
What he also brings, is comfort to the islanders who moved to the mainland, and miss their home. I see time and time again, islanders living on the mainland that miss being able to talk pidgin, eat local Hawaiian food (like Poi, Lau lau, and not just food with pineapples on-top), and give the reassurance that you don’t need to lose sight of where you come from just because you live in a different place. Oregon has a strong population of Islanders, and it couldn’t be a more difficult transition to go from 85 and sunny everyday to a weather forecast as unpredictable as our team-mate Joe Criscola’s arrival time to work every day.
From what I’ve learned, local Hawaiian culture can be misunderstood, and it’s important to try and look at the islands with a more rounded perspective because it’s a lot more than just sipping on Mai Tai’s and sitting on beaches. Mainlanders tend to think of it as just another state, glossing over the fact that it’s an entirely different culture that has been flooded by tourists who love to buy up the land, leaving little for the locals who have been living there generations. As I see more and more islanders move away from the islands because it’s become too expensive and I see more mainlanders buying condo’s in Hawaii, I cant help but to feel for those, like Coby, who are disgustingly optimistic, and continue to keep the Aloha-vibes alive no matter where he lives.
I invited Coby to the studio for a Q&A, where I wanted to hear his perspective about some of our deepest, most intellectually challenging questions we have ever crafted inside the BB Mag World Headquarters. I promise, you wont be disappointed. If you want to learn more about Coby, his Podcast “Hawaii Kine Tings” and Haole Brand, click this link. If you’re from the mainland, have fun learning, and if you’re from the islands, enjoy the familiar vibes.
Oh, and I love the Haole Brand mission statement: “Encourage all to embody and spread da Aloha Spirit no mattah wea they stay.”
Cheers to braddah Coby!
