Malia Hawaii, was founded in 1961 by Bill and Mary Foster (Malia is Mary in Hawaiian). Bill, a Hawaii native with 10+ years in textile design and sales at Wil-Lar Import Co., sought to expand into manufacturing, tasking Mary, a fashion enthusiast with a strong eye for prints, as head designer.
The Fosters acquired Peggy Wood of Honolulu, retaining parts of her line while expanding their offerings. Mary described their initial approach as “misses’ sizes with a junior look.” Malia launched with the Charleston dress, inspired by both Parisian runways and 1920s nostalgia. In 1963, they introduced Surfmate suits, among the first designs catering to female surfers.
In 1964, Malia expanded manufacturing to Hong Kong, introducing Tribute Silks. The tailoring skills available there led to Fast Break in 1967, cotton jackets in splashy prints, and Koke-wai raincoats. Fast Break was gradually replaced by Sandwich Isles, beginning in 1968, featuring tapa prints in cotton, and continuing until 1975-76 (Kenn Watson, personal communication, 2020, from interviews with Laurie Foster). The Hawaiian delegation to the 1968 Republican National Convention wore Sandwich Isles aloha coats. The Captain Cook line, using synthetics and batik-type prints, was added in 1971/72 (Kenn Watson, personal communication, 2020).
Malia’s womenswear thrived in the late 1960s and early 1970s, adapting Hawaiian prints to mainland trends. They joined the California Fashion Creators group in 1967 when CFC expanded their boundaries. Between 1966 and 1970, Malia added a Malia International branch, which handled importing and exporting. Malia International grew into an umbrella organization encompassing everything Malia, including Hawaiian Incentive Services (1969–1974) and MIL (Malia Identity Apparel), providing corporate uniforms. Other subsidiaries included Iam! (International Apparel Malia) and Malia Uniforms. Notably, Malia designed and produced flight attendant uniforms for Hawaiian Airlines in 1974, 1977, and 1979.
At its peak in the 1970s and ‘80s, Malia was Hawaii’s largest apparel manufacturer. By 1986, over half their garments were produced in Asia or Los Angeles, and they put their Honolulu plant up for sale. In 1989, Malia International discontinued traditional wear manufacturing, focusing on uniforms assembled but not made in Hawaii. Bill Sr. died in 1993, and Malia International filed Intent to Dissolve a year later.
Written by MagsRags Vintage, 2025
References
- Honolulu Star Advertiser. (1961, Feb 23). Peggy Wood Firm Sold to Malia Hawaii.
- Evans, Cleo. (1961,May 2). Jazz Age, Hawaii Style, Interpreted by Isle Firm. Honolulu Star Advertiser.
- Evans, Cleo. (1963, March 3). New “Surfmate” Suits Are Built For Action. Honolulu Star Advertiser.
- Honolulu Star Bulletin. (1964, May 12). Firm Considering Hong Kong Plant.
- Dennis, Hope. (1967, June 8). New Men’s Sportscoats Come in Splashy Prints. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
- Lytle, Drew. (1967, October 29). I’d Do It Over Again, Just The Same: Interview with Mary Foster. Honolulu Star Advertizer.
- Lynch, Russ. (1968, September 9). Aloha Coats Getting Around. Honolulu Star Bulletin.
- Dennis, Hope. (1974, March 22). Taking Off In A Splash Of Color. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
- Bartlett, Tony. (1974, June 6). Theirs Is A Casual Corporate Image.
- Honolulu Star Bulletin. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. (!981, September 6). Let’s Not Talk Shop: Interview with Mary Foster.
