Otaheite was a home-grown Hawaiian brand started in the late-1960s by John and Sharon Lawrence in Lahaina, Maui. Inspired by the Tahitian prints he had encountered in his travels, John printed custom designs on rare Japanese fabrics, setting Otaheite apart as a sought-after luxury brand within the popular Hawaiian-made clothing market. By the early-1970s Otaheite was selling their popular bikinis, shirts, shorts and t-shirt designs out of three storefronts; first at 732 Front Street in Lahaina, later in Whaler’s Village, and Kahului Shopping Center. In the late-1980s John sold Otaheite to become a restauranteur.
In 2012, their daughter Tiare Lawrence revived the Otaheite brand, operating a Wallea boutique featuring her custom-printed clothing that she described as “beach chic… inspired by Maui’s unique ocean lifestyle”. She closed her shop in 2016 to devote herself to full-time environmental activism.
Written by Ranch Queen Vintage
from a late-1960s/early-1970s top
Courtesy of Ranch Queen Vintage
