“The most important thing for me is the provenance of the shirts”
Simon Kennedy, Hawaiian Shirt Shop
It was the late 1980’s and after several years of military service I started off in fashion retail in Durban, South Africa, where work tended to get in the way of hanging out at the beach and surfing. I returned to the UK in 1995 and set up my own surf shop in Tunbridge Wells selling US and Australian surf clothing and equipment.
It was here that I started importing genuine Hawaiian shirts from Honolulu to complement the other ranges, which in turn led to the creation of my first e-commerce website in 2008.
The most important thing for me is the provenance of the shirts, they are all designed and made in Hawaii by leading garment manufacturers, some of whom have been making shirts since the early fifties. We have an excellent relationship with all our suppliers and I’m proud to now be exclusive UK importer & distributor to a number of traditional, trusted Honolulu-based brands – including Paradise Found, whose iconic Magnum P.I. “Jungle Bird” print, worn by Tom Selleck, has found it’s way into the Smithsonian Museum of American History!
Several years ago, having outgrown my shop’s stockroom, I packed up the shirts and moved them home to a lovely old barn on the family farm. It really is a family business with my wife and kids (who aren’t really kids any more) pitching in when needed, packing up shirts and helping with the daily post office run.
I hope you like my selection of shirts and find the website easy to navigate. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions for me.
Simon Kennedy
Call 01435 897188
Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 5pm
Out-of-Hours ansafone
Or email enquiries@hawaiian-shirt-shop.co.uk