MANAOLA

Carrington Manaola Yap is a native Hawaiian fashion designer from Kohala, Hawaiʻi who created luxury Hawaiian lifestyle brand MANAOLA in 2014. Inspired by his cultural upbringing as a life-long hula practitioner, he translates Hawaiian spirituality and Hawaiʻi’s unique beauty into prints that embody repetitious patterns in nature. Born into a family of award-winning hula practitioners and musicians, Yap learned costume design, research and styling from his mother, kumu hula and musician Nani Lim Yap through his studies in hālau. This hula foundation provided him with a platform to develop interests in textile and design, translating his talents into performance art. Yap employs a traditional Hawaiian stamping method called ʻohe kāpala (bamboo stamping) as the foundation of his original designs. Manaola Hawaiiʻs prints are first hand-carved by the designer onto bamboo laths before they are stamped and digitized onto modern silhouettes. Each design is grounded in native Hawaiian ideologies, often referring to significant stories, places or animals significant to Hawaiʻi. Yap debuted his eponymous fashion label, MANAOLA, in 2014. They launched their first collection of apparel for men and women in 2 independent fashion shows at the Honolulu Design Center by the end of 2015. Yap was recognized as one of Hawaii Business Magazineʻs “20 for the Next 20” honorees and is working on additional accessories, keiki and home collections to launch in 2016. Shop Yap’s collections 7 days a week at MANAOLA at Hula Lehua, located on Level 1 (makai side) of Ala Moana Center near the food court, adjacent to Sees Candy.