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Issued
February 2010: Blog posting
During the rise of the Hawaiian shirt, manufacturers from all
over the world copied the widely popular themes.
Shirts from the Caribbean, Africa, California, Asia, the Middle
East and elsewhere started making inroads into what was once
a market primarily dominated by Hawaiian makers.
 The
term is widely believed to have been first coined by a Honolulu
based shirtmaker, Koichiro Miyamoto (aka Musa-Shiya).
Known for his poetic advertisements, he placed an advertisement
in the Honolulu Advertiser June 28, 1935:
"Honolulu's noted shirt maker and Kimono shop.
'Aloha' shirts - well tailered, beautiful designs and radiant
colors. Ready-made or made to order... 95 cents and up"
The 95 cent shirt from Musa Shiyas shop in good condition today
sells for thousands. If you can find one.
Other sources place the appearance of the product into the
late 1920s, but the term 'aloha shirt' was coined at a time
when the word 'aloha' was being attached to a great many saleable
goods.
The term was copywritten in 1936.
Today, it is understood that a Hawaiian shirt, to be a true
hawaiian shirt, should be from Hawaii... but is often not. An
aloha shirt must be made in Hawaii.
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