Isle fashion entrepreneur plans a checkered future

Palaka, or the Hawaiian version of plaid, has been around more than 100 years, and Rodney “Sparky” Doo is seeing a resurgence of interest in the once-ubiquitous “Hawaiian denim,” which he markets as Palaka Hawaii.

“There’s a huge revival for that,” he said. He remembers when the most popular place to find palaka-print fabric was the old Ara­kawa’s in Wai­pahu, but younger people ask him, “What’s Arakawa’s?”

It’s hard to imagine a local person not knowing about the iconic plantation store whose broadcast advertising featured a crowing rooster and its tag line, “On historic Depot Road, just below the sugar mill ­— in Wai­pahu,” even though the store closed in 1995.

“You know, the old-timers remember, but I want to introduce it to the young market now,” he said.

Palaka is still uber-popular on Hawaii ranches, and Doo wholesales to the gift shops at Parker Ranch, Ulu­pala­kua Ranch and Hale­akala Ranch, as well as the gift shop at Bishop Museum.

He also does special orders, such as the 125th-anniversary shirts made for Hale­akala Ranch, embroidered with the ranch’s 125th-anniversary logo. “We did a couple hundred navy palaka, and we did the embroidery,” he said.

He also has supplied restaurants with embroidered logo shirts, and “for First Hawaiian Bank, I did a palaka slipper bag for their employees,” he said. The drawstring bag also has palaka straps.

For now at the retail customer level, only traditional aloha shirts in men’s sizes, both short- and long-sleeved, and unisex, elastic-waist shorts with on-seam pockets that are made in Hawaii, as well as caps and visors made in California, are readily available via his company website.

Short-sleeved shirts start at $65.95 and shorts are $39.

Doo also has done Road Shows at isle Costco stores and is excited about two pre-Christmas Road Shows he’s been invited to participate in at the Kapo­lei and Wai­pio stores.

When he launched the brand in the 1980s, Doo offered pullover aloha shirts and swingy, sleeveless ladies’ tops, and he may get back to offering additional items, but he’s a “one-man band,” he says. Not that he does all the sewing. The fabric comes from Asia, but he contracts the sewing work out to local people who make the garments in Hawaii, to his specifications.

After launching Palaka Hawaii, the 1972 graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City was pulled in other directions by other brands he established, including Liquid Aloha, Pineapple Juice, Urban Hawaiian, Blue Paradise and another one that took off to the point of ubiquity, called Locals Only.

All brands are trademarks belonging to Wings Sportswear Inc., of which Doo is president. Observant shoppers at his Locals Only store at Ala Moana Center might remember that wings were part of the store’s signage.

Liquid Aloha also had a presence at Ala Moana. “The concept was great. Liquid Aloha was for the girls that never had a surf shop of their own,” he said. It opened in 1998, but following the economic downturn stemming from 9/11, it closed in 2003, he said.

Pineapple Juice “is my baby,” he said. “I love vintage aloha shirts. I collect them,” he said. The line features “timeless patterns,” and he has been promoting the brand around the world at trade shows since its inception.

His travels, licensing deals and decades of business experience boil down into counsel he gives to those just starting out in the fashion business. “I tell the girls, you gotta register your (trade) mark,” he said. Every country has different laws, “so that’s the first thing” that must be done to protect one’s brand, or brands, he said.

Doo is part of a multigenerational family of Hawaii merchants, beginning with his grandfather Doo Wai Sing, who opened dry goods store Yat Loy Co. in Hono­lulu’s Chinatown in about 1904. His grandfather also offered tailor services to the downtown businessmen of the time, and the business grew to three store locations in Hono­lulu.

Sparky’s father, James K.C. Doo, eventually took over the operation and later founded Hau­oli Sales Co. Ltd. The apparel retailer was among the many merchants that did business as part of the GEM, or Government Employees Mutual, cooperative discount stores that launched many a kama­aina family retail empire.

Hauoli has undergone several changes as apparel retailing has changed, and now Doo’s sister Lori has two Tapestries by Hau­oli stores at Ala Moana and Pearlridge.

Meanwhile, brother Mark’s Hawaii Popcorn Co. also grew from a one-pushcart popcorn company, selling Hurricane Popcorn, to a wholesaling business selling flavored popcorn mixes online as well as in bricks-and-mortar retail stores.

“We have a joke” in the family, he says, that Grandfather was supposed to sail on to San Francisco from Hawaii, but because he got seasick, he decided to stay. “We’re all very happy he did,” Doo said with a laugh.

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“Buy Local” runs on Aloha Fridays. Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.