Indigenous clothing brand HOSH collaborating with Native Hawaiian artist and kapa-maker
HOSH has announced its latest artist collaboration with Native Hawaiian artist and kapa-maker Lehuauakea, launching June 15, 2026. The limited-edition collection features three wearable artworks translated onto HOSH’s signature t-shirts, bringing Lehuauakea’s deeply rooted visual language to a new audience while continuing HOSH’s mission of creating economic opportunities for Indigenous artists through contemporary fashion.
Born and raised in Pāpaʻikou on Hawaiʻi Island, Lehuauakea is a Native Hawaiian (Kanaka ʻŌiwi) interdisciplinary artist, kapa-maker, and māhū practitioner whose work bridges ancestral knowledge and contemporary artistic expression. One of the leading contemporary practitioners of kapa, the traditional Native Hawaiian art of barkcloth-making, Lehuauakea works across textiles, installation, painting, and printmaking to explore themes of Indigenous environmental stewardship, cultural memory, mythology, identity, and connection to place.
Within Native Hawaiian culture, māhū individuals have long held respected roles as caretakers, teachers, and cultural stewards, embodying a traditional understanding of gender that predates Western frameworks. Through their work as a māhū artist, Lehuauakea explores the intersections of Indigenous identity, cultural continuity, environmental stewardship, and belonging, creating contemporary expressions that honor Native Hawaiian traditions while expanding conversations around gender, community, and contemporary Indigenous life.
For this collaboration, three original artworks have been adapted into collectible t-shirts, transforming everyday garments into vessels for Indigenous storytelling. The collection reflects Lehuauakea’s ongoing commitment to preserving and evolving Native Hawaiian cultural practices while creating space for new conversations around identity, representation, and cultural resilience.
“Kapa is more than a material. It is a living record of knowledge, relationship, and cultural continuity,” Lehuauakea said.
Through their work, traditional practices become dynamic contemporary expressions that honor the past while speaking to the present.
Launching during Pride Month, the collaboration highlights HOSH’s ongoing commitment to amplifying Indigenous artists whose work expands cultural narratives and representation. By partnering with Lehuauakea, HOSH celebrates both the preservation of Native Hawaiian artistic traditions and the visibility of Indigenous LGBTQ+ voices that have long existed within their communities.
Founded to support Native artists through meaningful collaborations, HOSH partners with creators whose work is deeply connected to community, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation. Each collaboration generates direct economic opportunities for participating artists while introducing their work to new audiences.
ABOUT LEHUAUAKEA
Lehuauakea is a Native Hawaiian (Kanaka ʻŌiwi) interdisciplinary artist, kapa-maker, and māhū practitioner whose work utilizes ancestral organic materials in contemporary ways to explore Indigenous environmental stewardship, cultural mythology, identity, and cultural continuity. Working across barkcloth-making, natural dyes, printmaking, installation, and mixed media, they preserve and expand Native Hawaiian knowledge systems while advancing traditional practices into contemporary artistic forms. Their work has been exhibited internationally and has helped bring renewed attention to kapa as both a cultural practice and a contemporary art form.
ABOUT HOSH
HOSH is an artist platform dedicated to creating economic opportunities for Indigenous artists through collaborative collections, exhibitions, and cultural programming. By partnering directly with artists, HOSH transforms original works into accessible products while ensuring artists remain at the center of the storytelling and economic value generated by their work.
