Working solo, Kini Zamora was a designer in need of an editor, and Dean Satta was a wannabe designer in need of technical know-how. Together they may prove to be a formidable fashion force as they merge their two brands, KiniZamora and Waru, respectively, to create a distinctive style of contemporary streetwear for men and women.

Their new KiRu line takes its inspiration from Waru’s Japa­nese heritage and KiniZamora’s Polynesian direction to come up with what they call their "Japa­ne­sian" identity. For their inaugural Fall 2013 military-inspired collection, debuting at a fashion show April 12 at Aloha Tower, Satta came up with the men’s pieces, and Zamora developed the women’s line, but easy interplay between the two designers and collections has them envisioning a full collaboration in the future.

Their partnership is a result of their meeting a year and a half ago on a local magazine fashion shoot that Zamora was styling and Satta was photographing.

"I started with T-shirt production, and I had some ideas for a men’s clothing line but I needed help cutting patterns," said Satta, who had little experience in creating fashion but who has the energy and ambition to back his can-do attitude.

He had learned the art of fashion photography through online tutorials, so he wasn’t going to let a lack of formal education deter him, after being inspired by the many fashion blogs he read to train his photographer’s eye. As he delved further into fashion, he came to appreciate the sleek lines of Japa­nese urban wear, which he believes could work well here if people were willing to increase their style IQ.

"In Hawaii people are still conservative with fashion. I want to try to slowly bring in more style but still keep a recognizable Hawaii vibe, like with shirts that are not typical aloha shirts but still cas­ual, with more details that are dressy enough for going out," Satta said. "During the day I wear ‘boroboro’ (worn-out) clothes, but when I do go out, I like to dress up.

"When I was younger I was interested in being different. If it looked funny I didn’t care. Sometimes you go, ‘OK, that’s messed up,’ but if you can make it work, that’s good."

His classmates at Kauai High School remembered when he bleached his dark hair white one Christmas, just to experiment.

"My father didn’t like it. He didn’t really care what I wore, but he cared about my hair," Satta said.

His first foray into fashion was a line of T-shirts featuring rascally Hawaii-based cartoon characters inspired by such icons as tikis, pineapples and plumeria.

He named his company Waru, short for waru­bozu, meaning "troublemaker" in Japa­nese.

"I like anime, I like cartoons, I like art," Satta said. "I’m nervous about this fashion show. People are going to ask, ‘Who is this guy?’ But, if they like it they like it, and if they don’t I can’t do anything about it. It’s all about doing what I want to do."

Zamora is best known for the extravagant, over-the-top creations he’s sent down local runways, plus evening and pageant gowns, but he has yet to conquer the retail market. "I always add too much. Then it’s not retail anymore and more avant-garde," he said.

The designer graduated from Hono­lulu Community College’s fashion technology program in 2005, two years before Andy South, who made a name for himself on Season 8 of "Project Runway." Zamora is still considering a fifth attempt at making the TV fashion competition after being consistently told by judges to edit his work.

"I don’t feel so bad because Seth Aaron (Henderson, Season 7 winner) told me not to give up. He auditioned four times before he made it onto the series," Zamora said, but editing advice from Henderson and Mondo Guerra, a Season 8 finalist with South, hit home.

Although he ended up with the more laborious end of the partnership with Satta, he has gained a critical second eye.

"We’re really good at balancing each other," Zamora said. "He’s really good at stopping me from going overboard. I needed someone like him. He’d tell me, ‘Just stop. When the design’s good, just stop.’ By stopping, my designs become much cleaner and more classic."

KiRu pieces will retail for about $45 to $60.