Artist Kat Reeder said she had visited LeSportsac stores many times, appreciating the artistry of the company’s graphic prints,never imagining she would see her own work on their bags one day.

“I wondered how artists got to create these wonderful prints, and just kind of hoped and dreamed that maybe one day it wouldbe me, and when they called me I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

It was a poster Reeder created for the 2009 Women’s Triple Crown of Surfing event that caught the eye of executives at LeSportsac,a U.S. brand of casual nylon handbags, travel bags, totes, backpacks and accessories. Later, while working with singer Rai­a­teaon a “Mele” print, they learned the singer’s album cover was created by Reeder, and decided to approach her regarding a collaboration.

Reeder is the first local visual artist tapped to work on a design for the brand, and her exclusive Hawaiian print “MoanaAhe,” meaning “Ocean Breeze,” now graces a new collection that debuted this month at LeSportsac. Reeder will make an appearanceat a reception to introduce the collection, taking place 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at LeSportsac in the Royal Hawaiian Center, BuildingC. Guests will be able to enter to win a cosmetic accessory, handbag or travel set from the collection.

Reeder said she grew up drawing Disney characters before becoming a fan of anime. She had been working as a graphic artistin Miami and fell in love with Hawaii on vacation 12 years ago, vowing to return to live here one day, making her move threeyears ago.

Although both are beach cities, she said, “Hawaii is much more romantic. When I came here I just felt it was home.”

She also finds people accessible and friendly here, and felt confident enough to leave the office behind and strike out onher own, working with individual clients and developing her style, a fusion of pinup art, 1960s exotica and Tropicalia, aBrazilian art movement of the 1960s.

It hit all the nostalgic notes for visitors and kama­aina who long for the days of an unspoiled Hawaii.

Reeder said it was a learning experience to apply her two-dimensional art to a three-dimensional object. Her “print” doesnot reflect a single design, but many individual pieces of art, including four large paintings and two small paintings reducedto palm-size images.

“It was a lot of effort,” Reeder said. “All the parts were drawn independently. There’s a lot of texture in my work, so Iwas concerned how it would look, but it turned out fabulous. It looks just like the image, true to life.”

The collection is available at LeSportsac stores at the Royal Hawaiian and Ala Moana centers, at Hilton Hawaiian Village andon Guam.