Our story

Aloha Friyay is an apparel brand based in Honolulu, Hawaiʽi.  We draw inspiration and celebrate beach days, Hawaiʽi, travel, surfing and being in nature.  In our designs, you’ll see modern remixes of things from the past and themes of empowerment, humor and conservation.  Our belief is that youth succeed based on their character.  So our designs contain cultural sayings or quotes about optimism, gratitude, empathy, grit, aloha, and ohana. 

 

Our name

Our name is a play on words of the popular Hawaiʽi saying Aloha Friday.  It’s our way of saying “thank God it’s Friday,” so the fun of the weekend can begin.  Friyay is modern slang to express joy and excitement for Fridays.  We believe that every day should feel like Aloha Friyay for youth and hope our apparel gives you that friyay feeling. 

 

Our approach

Sustainability is important to Aloha Friyay as we want to protect the waves and oceans that raised us for our kids and future generations.  We are continuously re-evaluating all aspects of our brand to determine how we can become more environmentally and socially responsible.  Part of our motivation for launching was creating clothes that our kids and friends can feel good about wearing since they’re made in a sustainable and ethical way.  Here are some of the things we’re currently doing. 

Made to Order and Small Batch Production

This business model is a far more ethical and sustainable approach to apparel. There is no overproduction, which reduces the risk of excess unwanted stock going to our landfills, since one in five clothing is not even worn. 

Ethical Production

Our apparel is made here in the USA or factories in our supply chain that are WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) certified.  WRAP is a globally recognized, independent 3^rd party certifying body whose mission is to promote ethical, humane and lawful working conditions. 

Direct to Garment Printing and Embroidery

We use Kornit printers that generate almost zero wastewater and use less energy than standard industry printers, which lowers our carbon footprint.  The inks we use for printing are Oeko-Tex™ certified, vegan, water-based, and free of harmful chemicals.  We embroider our products with Oeko-Tex™ certified threads, meaning they’re safe for kids clothing. Compared to printing, embroidery is generally more durable and produces less environmental waste.

Post-Consumer Product Packaging

All apparel products are packed in post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic mailers. The amount of PCR in the packaging is at least 50% for the outside (white or grey) poly mailer bags and at least 30% for the inside (clear) bags used in multi-item shipments.

Giving Back

Your purchase makes a difference!

At Aloha Friyay, we believe in giving back to make a positive impact in our communities and the environment.  Each year, we donate 2% of profits to various organizations.  For this year, we are donating to these two causes.

The Hawaiʽi Foodbank

Hawaiʻi Foodbank is a non-profit 501(c)3 agency that provides food assistance to ensure that nobody in our ohana of Hawaiʽi goes hungry.  They distribute food through their collection of food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, domestic abuse shelters, rehabilitation centers and more.

1% for the Planet

A global non-profit who's model drives philanthropic support to address the most urgent environmental issues of our time. Their network shows the power of collective action, bringing together individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations around the world to support people and the planet.  Today, only 3% of philanthropy goes towards environmental needs.  Their goal is to significantly increase the overall amount of philanthropy in the most impactful way.