Beginning with Intention

Makia Mai didn’t begin with a launch — it began with time.

More than a year was spent refining a single pattern. Adjusting seams. Testing movement. Wearing the same piece again and again. Making small changes that no one else would notice, but that mattered deeply to me. It took just as long to gather the courage to share this work beyond my own hands — to open up to orders, to name this as a practice, and to make not just for myself, but for community.

What started as coordinating shorts for my keiki’s sports teams slowly became something more.

The Retro Sport Shorts — Palaka Edition grew out of those early makes. Designed for ease, movement, and everyday island life, they are a fresh take on a familiar staple — crafted in palaka, Hawai‘i’s iconic workwear print. This first limited run was created in celebration of Pukalani Elementary’s 50th Anniversary, sewn by hand in small batches on Maui.

Making these pieces marked a shift. From sewing quietly at home to offering something thoughtfully made for others. From personal necessity to shared enjoyment. From practice to purpose.

Makia Mai lives in that transition — between land and sea, between idea and garment, between making for oneself and making for community. It is rooted in patience, care, and the belief that clothing can carry story when given the time to become what it needs to be.

This journal will hold those stories — of patterns perfected slowly, of garments shaped by real life, and of the courage it takes to let your work be seen.

Thank you for being here as this chapter begins.

— Kehau