Two years after launching a successful collaboration with Uniqlo, ‘Iolani Sportswear has introduced a second international collaboration collection, this time with Sanrio’s Hello Kitty.

At ‘Iolani’s Kona Street headquarters, the room is all smiles when eyeing the ‘Iolani X Hello Kitty collection, though Vice President Carla Kawakami says she gets a headache thinking about all it took to produce the collection, a two-year project that encompasses dresses, men’s shirts, custom-designed tees and tanks, as well as canvas tote bags, plush toys, slippers, a teacup and more. Items run from $15 to $85.

The family-run, kamaaina company had a 63-year history of producing apparel. The rest was all new to them and represented a huge learning curve, not only in producing the myriad accessories, but in being faithful to the story of Hello Kitty, a Japanese — and now global — pop culture icon.

“There are a lot of rules that make Hello Kitty who she is. She’s not a cat, but a person, and collectors know her back story. There’s a certain aesthetic to the colors she can wear, the placement of flowers on her head, the length of her whiskers,” Kawakami said. “So we were relieved when, in the stores, her fans said, ‘Yes, she’s correct.’”

Per the licensing agreement, ‘Iolani was responsible for coming up with all the collaboration graphics, which include a lush green tropical print with a tan Hello Kitty peeking out through the foliage, used in dresses, tops and a men’s shirt.

“At first we weren’t going to produce menswear. I thought Hello Kitty for men was a little weird,” said ‘Iolani CEO Lloyd Kawakami, Carla’s husband.

He changed his mind while attending fashion trade shows in Japan, where Hello Kitty has become a rising star of unisex fashion.

“We talked to Sanrio about it, and they were really excited about menswear,” he said. Sure enough, when the Kawakamis’ son Alx, a musician, wore his Hello Kitty shirt on a Hawaii News Now “Sunrise” appearance with Billy V, the host pointed it out, prompting a flood of phone calls from people asking where they could get the shirt.

The Hello Kitty image is subtle, so for the most part, men don’t see the image until it is pointed out to them, Lloyd Kawakami said.

Carla Kawakami said there was a lot of discussion about the color of Hello Kitty’s Hawaiian tan, and now that the prints and plush toys are out, “brown Hello Kitty” has become a hit with fans.

“I think of Hello Kitty as an island girl, and after you work with her, you begin to think of her as a personality and she’s so much fun,” she said.

“These kinds of relationships are so important because Hawaii can be pushed aside by big global companies, but when big companies notice us — not just ‘Iolani, but other brands as well — it just adds to our mystique.”

The ‘Iolani X Hello Kitty collection can be found at ‘Iolani Sportswear, 1234 Kona St., and at Sanrio boutiques.