Questions? Don’t worry, here some I frequently answer :)
Frequently asked questions about the biz
What does Nuumuus mean?
Punfortunately, I love a good play on words. As soon as I decided I wanted to start making new clothes from old mu’umu’us, I knew I had a pun and also a business (new+muumuu = newmuu, get it?)
That’s a cool story but how do you pronounce it?
In olelo Hawai’i, the apostrophe between letters is actually its own letter called an okina, and it functions as a brief pause between phonemes. The proper pronunciation of mu’umu’u is “moo-oo-moo-oo” but often the okina is left out and people say “moo-moo”. I first thought of the name Nuumuus with the colloquial mispronunciation in mind because the of how the pun flows in the Anglicized pronunciation. Once Nuumuus, entered the world though, I loved when the okinas were reinserted; Nuumuus began because I started working with reclaimed aloha wear so it’s only natural that there is Hawaiian influence in the name. So, all that to say, whether you say “new-moo” or “noo-o-moo-o”, I’m just happy your connecting with pieces touched and inspired by this place I’ve been lucky enough to call home.
What makes Nuumuus different from other aloha clothing brands?
You will not find Nuumuus in an ABC Store or the airport. My designs say “I love Hawai’i without having that printed across a t-shirt. The thrifted mu’umu’u and aloha shirts that I upcycle are primarily local brands like Cooke Street, Ono, and Reyn Spooner in a way that are quintessentially Hawai’i in a way that the Guy Fieri-colored shirts you find at the swap meet aren’t.
And not only does upcycling preloved fabric mean that Nuumuus feature classic prints that say Hawaii without saying tourist, they’re made with contemporary silhouettes you won’t find anywhere else. The combination of the cut and patterns of Nuumuus give each piece its own authentic personality.
Is every piece really one-of-a-kind?
It sure is! Each garment is handmade from reclaimed textiles and because I try to make my tops reversible, no two fabric combinations are exactly alike. While this means each and every Nuumuu is a one-of-one, it also means that once it’s gone, that exact piece is gone for good.
What kind of fabrics do you use and where do you get them?
I use all sorts from all over! I have gotten fabrics during travels from charity shops in England and thrift stores in Portugal and Spain; I was gifted a literal room full of damaged silk kimonos from Japan; when I lived in Boston for grad school, I stocked up on bolts of fabric from Swanson’s Fabric, a recycled fabric store in western Massachusetts; I brought home an entire suitcase of material when I moved back to Hawai’i after living in Aotearoa New Zealand for a year; at my home base in Hawai’i, I’ve gotten my preloved fibers from thrift stores, garage sales, and donations.
What kind of fabric I use depends a bit on where I got it - in Hawai’i I mostly work with upcycled mu’umu’us and aloha shirts but, for instance, when I was in New Zealand and Boston, I had a lot more access to thrifted table clothes, curtains, duvet covers, and dead stock materials. Each piece arrives to you with a backstory; by wearing Nuumuus you’re adding to these fabrics’ second chapter.