PO‘IPU — Would you wear a fashion piece created out of bamboo? There are many benefits to wearing clothing which has its roots in bamboo, said Stephanie Davis, who along with her husband Chris, own the newly opened Cariloha Bamboo
PO‘IPU — Would you wear a fashion piece created out of bamboo?
There are many benefits to wearing clothing which has its roots in bamboo, said Stephanie Davis, who along with her husband Chris, own the newly opened Cariloha Bamboo store in the Po‘ipu Shopping Village.
Davis said the Cariloha Bamboo parent company uses a special technique to extract fibers from bamboo and convert them to fabric.
“There are many benefits to clothing made from bamboo,” she said. “It is twice as soft as cotton; it keeps a body about three degrees cooler than cotton; it has the ability to whisk moisture and it’s healthy.”
Fabric made from bamboo is familiar to Val Roland, general manager of the Po‘ipu Shopping Village, who said she has a friend on Maui who was having problems with mold on her toweling until she changed to towels made of bamboo.
“Everything in here is bamboo,” Stephanie said. “The floors are bamboo, and all of the apparel, men’s and women’s, are made from bamboo. We also carry bed sheets, towels and accessories all made from bamboo.”
With almost seven million private businesses in America, Cariloha is the only one offering an entire store experience which revolves completely around bamboo-based products, states a release from Cariloa.
Cariloha’s hats, shirts, polos, dresses, shorts, skirts, socks, bed sheets, bath towels, jewelry and more are all made from unique bamboo blends.
“We believe Cariloha’s dedication to the regeneration of bamboo resources illustrates our commitment to helping grow the Hawaiian economy,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie and Chris Davis, owners of the Cariloha Bamboo in the Po‘ipu Shopping Village, celebrated the blessing and dedication of the latest Cariloha shop, Tuesday, the ceremony being attended by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President Randall Francisco and a host of other shop owners in the Po‘ipu Shopping Village.
“We are pleased to be here,” Stephanie said. “There are 15 Cariloha stores and this is the first Cariloha store in the state of Hawai‘i.”
Mayor Carvalho was thrilled, welcoming the Davis ‘ohana to Kaua‘i and noting their serious commitment and dedication of opening a store in challenging times.
“We believe Cariloha will be a great addition to the island of Kaua‘i and will do everything in our power to be a great neighbor to the Po‘ipu Shopping Village, the Po‘ipu Resort area and the entire island community,” Chris said, thrilled to have the dignitaries on hand to welcome the new shop.
Chris said the Cariloha ‘ohana of employees include Donna Miller, Stephanie’s mother who will be managing the store, Lexi Breen, Vanessa Vest and Jamie Rounds.
Carilola is derived from the blending of the words “Caribbean” and “Aloha,” Chris said.
“I’ve read the word ‘Aloha’ is more than a word of greeting, or farewell,” Chris said. “It is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. Every person is important. ‘Aloha’ means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable.”
All of this led to their decision to select Hawai‘i for their Cariloha store.
“This Aloha spirit is embodied in our store,” Chris said. “We truly believe that life is to be enjoyed and full of fun experiences. The true Cariloha shopping experience is based around that philosophy. If we aren’t making people smile, or making them happy, or helping them feel comfortable when they come into our store, we’ve missed the point. Our goal is to radiate the fun, caring Aloha spirit in everything we do.”
Stephanie said prior to opening in Po‘ipu, they did check out locations on O‘ahu such as the Ala Moana Shopping Center and Waikiki as well as Maui, all visitor destinations.
On Kaua‘i, they investigated other areas before settling on Po‘ipu whose beach was recently voted America’s Best Beach by The Travel Channel.
“We’re honored and lucky to have Cariloha join our family at the Po‘ipu Village Shopping Center,” Roland said. “Stephanie and Chris did their homework and visited different locations before settling on Po‘ipu and we feel honored.”
Cariloha was established in 2007 and is the only retailer in the world to provide an entire store experience on bamboo-based merchandise.
Visit www.cariloha.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
