Mu’umu’u Heaven
Wednesday - July 11, 2007
Mu‘umu‘u Heaven has opened its doors in Kailua with a brand new store at 767 Kailua Road (behind Nohea Gallery).
“Everything came about really from a love of vintage fabrics and recycling,” says Deb Mascia, owner and designer of Mu‘umu‘u Heaven. “I’ve been collecting vintage clothing for a huge part of my life. My mother and grandmother had great style.”
Mascia, who was born and raised in Australia, is a self-taught fashion designer. She moved to Hawaii in 2001 and worked previously at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and volunteered at a thrift store in Moiliili. During her transition to the Islands, she found herself attracted to vintage Hawaiian prints and started to collect them to make clothes for herself.
“I started re-creating these dresses and I couldn’t go anywhere without people commenting about it,” she remembers. “I’ve had people offer to buy it off my body.” The positive response led to the Mu‘umu‘u Heaven website, headed by
Mascia’s husband Eric, and continued for two and a half years before the couple decided to open a boutique in February. You can also find
Mu‘umu‘u Heaven in about eight boutiques on the Mainland. Mascia also offers custom orders. “You can bring in your grandma’s old mu‘umu‘u and I’ll re-create it into a cute modern style,” she says. She also makes pillow cases out of old aloha shirts, baby shirts and a special bamboo collection featuring men’s shirts and women’s dresses made from earth-friendly bamboo fabric. The store also carries jewelry and accessories by various local designers.
Every purchase made comes with a reusable farmer’s market bag. For more information, call 263-3366 or visit www.muumuuheaven.com
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