THE ISLAND CLASSICS PROJECT
An exclusive re-issue of the Iconic brand born on the North Shore of Oahu
ABOUT THE BRAND
An Icon of Hawaiian Performance Surfing
Island Classics was founded by Eric Arakawa in 1982. For the next decade, it became one of the most esteemed labels on the North Shore with team riders Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Ronnie Burns, Shawn Briley, Dwayne Maki, and others. In the early 90's, Hawaiian Island Creations purchased the brand to have Eric shape for their professional team. Since then, HIC set it aside and never pursued any development.
In the year 2025, almost thirty years later, the brand is back in Eric's hands.
PROJECT PHASE 1:
Re-open the apparel archives
As a first step, we are beginning production on exclusive runs of authentic Island Classics apparel using the same artwork masters that were used 30 years ago.
Much of the clothing designs and catalogs have been lost, but we were able to recover a good amount of the film positives that were used to shoot the original screens back at Superscreen Hawaii.
Each apparel issue will exclusively be available by pre-order in limited quantities. These items will not be available in stores or regular stock.
Stay tuned as more from the archives is unpacked!
APPAREL ISSUE #1: THE OG SUNSET TEE
PRODUCT STORY
For the first T-shirt re-issue, we had a few designs to choose from, but the decision was an easy one: we have to start with the iconic logo in the original sunset fade colorway.
We roped in Ian Andersen of Aloha Ink to check out the positives and reshoot the screens. The same man used to print all the Island Classics apparel and other iconic Hawaiian brands at back Superscreen decades ago. Now he has his shop right behind us in the Waialua Sugar Mill. It only seemed fitting that the same pair of hands should bring it back.
We selected a premium quality blank from the same manufacturer we use for our Arakawa tees. Soft but at the same time sturdy, these are made to last and be enjoyed for years.
100% Organic cotton
GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides
Mid weight, 5.3 oz, 24-singles
Regular Fit
Preshrunk
Available only by Pre-order
Total units: 200
Ship Date: June 15-30
If you would like to receive updates on the project, please join our email list. — Aloha, The Arakawa Surfboard Factory
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