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HOA KAI X GOLDFISH KISS

By: Rebekah Steen (aka Goldfish Kiss)

For anyone who ever asked if I could do a beach towel with my artwork on it… here you go. Hoa Kai X Goldfish Kiss Limited Edition Turkish Towels are here, and they’re rather rad.

For anyone who is just on the hunt for a beach towel, I think you’d like it too.

So, long story short, I teamed up with Hoa Kai to make one of their oh so soft and useful, hand loomed Turkish Towels. I came up with a fun print made up of plumerias I’d painted…et voila. You can now lay down, dry off, or be wrapped up in a bunch of puas. If only we could’ve made it smell like them too.

As fun as the print and collab is (we’re so pumped with how these turned out), I think it’s rather amazing what Kelly at Hoa Kai is doing as well. So let me shout out some praises her way really quickly…

Hoa Kai is a family owned and operated business in Kauai. Lifeguard. Two boys. Beach momma. They know beach gear. Big time. So when they found their first Turkish Towels, they were fans, and started investigating where to find the best ones to buy for family and friends.

That’s where the interesting part begins…

They learned that the creation and weaving of Turkish towels has been around for centuries, is an amazing trade that has been taught for generations, and very skilled craftsman are raising cotton and hand-looming these beautiful pieces in Southeast Turkey.

BUT, they also learned that most of the Turkish towels sold today are mass-produced by large scale manufacturing companies. In fact, only a handful of traditional weaving workshops remain because industrial textile manufacturing has all but wiped out Turkey’s weaving culture. Which meant hundreds, maybe thousands of weavers have been put into poverty. Selling these huge quantities of towels at a lower cost put families who have been creating these towels for centuries out of business and out of work. Urg.

That’s where Hoa Kai stepped in…

They wanted to support these weavers and their craft, and definitely appreciate an old-style-shuttled loom more than a mouse click. So, through their research, found some incredible weavers (that they work with directly) who’ve been making Turkish towels for over six generations. They are in a small village in Southeast Turkey near the Syrian border, and have quality that no computer controlled loom can copy. Humans for the win.

So, all because of an initial admiration of a Turkish Towel, some research, and taking a leap of faith, Hoa Kai is bringing awareness, work, and some much needed moolah to some Turkish families who have been struggling.

Extremely functional, soft and well made towels that are covered in a print that’s designed and painted by yours truly, that also helps keep an art form and tradition alive…Yup. I’m definitely a fan of these towels.

For many reasons.

Hoa Kai X Goldfish Kiss - Available at hoakaisurf.com …and at a few really cool surf shops and online stores. 

CARRIE LY X DECEMBER 14, 2016

carrieproject.com

One of my must bring items while I travel is the Hoa Kai Surf towels which are super cute and can be used for like a bajillion things when your travelling.

I love bringing one of these towels with me. We all know it gets a bit chilly at airports when your traveling, even if your going to a tropical island, you always want to be prepared with articles that will keep you warm (cause you never know!). I use my Hoa Kai Surf Towel as a throw over blanket when I’m on the plane and I wanna get cozy. If I’m walking in the airports, I drape it over my shoulders like a shawl for extra warmth. And when I don’t feel cold anymore, I roll it up and pack it in my backpack which doesn’t take up much room.

Hoa Kai Surf works directly with families who have been weaving for more then 6 years which is incredible because shops now a days are usually mass produced by factories. It’s great to see companies involved in supporting local artisans. These Turkish Towels are weaved to be quick dry and easy to maintain. Wash in cold water and hang to dry. I’ve used my towel as a beach towel, a yoga mat towel, a shower towel, and a blankie. And it’s been amazing in doing almost everything I need it for my everyday activities when I’m travelling.

You know what else is awesome about it? Wrap it around your waist and you got yourself a sharong!! Sometimes when I don’t feel like wearing pants (which is basically like all the time lol) I wrap this around my waist like a skirt. It’s so comfy and it adds to your travel wardrobe which it typically limited.

Check out how I styled my Hoa Kai Surf Towel in Hawaii below. Shop their selection of designs and towels here.

Need DRY OFF WITH THESE LIGHT-WEIGHT, QUICK-DRYING BEACH TOWELS.

BY NATALIE SCHACK

Honolulu Magazine: Published 2017.03.15 09:07 AM

Don’t get upset, but we’re going to leave you out to dry. In fact, you should probably get pretty excited about it. After all, nobody likes a wet blanket.



Especially us, which is why we’re throwing in the towel. Well, sort of. Rather, we’re dumping the dime-a-dozen variety and reaching for a leveled-up Turkish towel from Hoa Kai.

The Kaua‘i-based, family-run company’s team was on the same soggy wavelength when it started the brand last year. After one too many trips to the beach turned their home into a mini towel-drying factory, mom Kelly Kakalia took a step back. Moldy, sand-infested, wet-forever, washing-machine space wasters were piling her out of house and home. No more.

Instead, they switched to quick-drying, lightweight Turkish towels. Finer fibers help keep grains of sand at bay, and now the Kakalias have downgraded to a single beach bag for their family of four. A perfect fit, but they also wanted to make sure it was a socially copacetic choice, so they did their research and opted for towels from a small village in Syria-bordered, southeastern Turkey made by artisan weavers—not mass-produced by giant manufacturing companies.

Next step? Share it with the world! And, because the Kakalias are in direct contact with weavers on the production side, they can work with the artisans to produce special prints that fit their (and your) tropical lifestyle. We’re loving the beauties they’ve come up with together, unique patterns that set the Hoa Kai pieces apart in the Turkish towel trend. Think deep, luscious hibiscus foliage, perky birds of paradise or, our favorite, jolly pineapples with stylized flair. Hoa Kai even has a line sporting Hawai‘i artist Heather Brown’s breezy, Island-inspired works. That means, while you’re lounging shoreside, you’ll also be treated to some perfectly on-theme art.



Pretty exciting, right? Talk about a dry seat in the house.


$32.95–$49.95 in the Hoa Kai webstore.

Hoa Kai Surf (http://hoakaisurf.com), makers of 100 percent raw cotton Turkish towels traditionally loomed in Southeast Turkey, announced today their Fall 2016 collection. The line features the first-ever prints on raw cotton, overcoming traditional challenges with bleeding and fading on the fabric to deliver a range of Hawaiian-inspired prints in vintage and bold lines that range from birds of paradise and pineapples to an “Aloha” plumeria print.

“Our Fall 2016 collection features a range of colors and styles to appeal to a range of consumers, from solids and stripes to vintage, beach-worn patterns that offer a feel of the islands,” explains Kelly Kakalia, founder of Hoa Kai Surf. “Beginning next month, we’ll be introducing our vibrant line of prints, which are fade-resistant and feature our line of patterns in bold, bright colors.”

Hoa Kai, which translates to seaside companion, was born from a mother’s quest to find an eco-friendly, energy efficient, and high quality towel solution for people who spend time near the water. During the company’s research phase, insight into the history, art, and evolution of the Turkish towel created a secondary purpose for her brand: supporting and reviving the centuries-old art of Turkish towel making for weaving families that had been bankrupted by low quality, polyester-infused imitation towels that have been mass produced elsewhere.

“Living in Kauai, my family spends five or more days a week at the beach, which means we go through a lot of towels. Terry towels are bulky, get moldy and sandy, and use a lot of energy and water to wash,” adds Kakalia. “My research put me in contact with two families who have been in the weaving industry for generations, leading to a partnership that is committed to creating the best quality products on the market while supporting families whose livelihoods have been threatened by imitation towels.”

Traditional Turkish towels have been loomed by weaving families since the 17th century for bathhouses, or hamams. They have seen a resurgence in Australia and in surf communities around the globe, due to their compact, absorbent and light-weight qualities. Hoa Kai Turkish towels are made from 100 percent raw, Turkish cotton, grown in the Aegean province of Turkey, known for some of the world’s highest quality cotton.

For more information about Hoa Kai Surf, its products, or to shop online, visit http://hoakaisurf.com