Alfred Shaheen

Shaheen was born in Cranford, New Jersey, on January 31, 1922, to a family of Lebanese immigrants, who were garment industry entrepreneurs. Shaheen's grandfather, Assi Shaheen, came to the U.S. from Lebanon in the late-1800s and established silk factories in New York and New Jersey. Shaheen's father, George, joined his father, Assi, in the U.S. in the early-1900s. George ultimately started his own business, Geo. Shaheen, with his wife, Mary. In 1938, George moved his family and his business to Hawaii, where George and Mary specialized in custom garments made from silks, brocades, rayon satin, and other formal fabrics. Alfred returned to the mainland to attend Whittier College, where he excelled at math, physics, engineering and football. After graduating with a degree in aeronautical engineering just as the U.S. entered World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a fighter pilot, flying 84 missions over Germany, Italy and France.{{cite web|url=https://en.vogue.me/fashion/godfather-hawaiian-shirt-alfred-shaheen-journey-lebanon-honolulu/|title=The Godfather of the Hawaiian Shirt: Trace Alfred Shaheen’s Journey From Lebanon to Honolulu|last=Challita|first=Joe|date=May 15, 2023|website=en.vogue.me|publisher= Nervora Fashion, Inc. and Condé Nast|quote=Alfred Shaheen’s family come from the Aarbanieh village in Mount Lebanon, home to a magnificent mill in the Silk Valley, famously known for its silk production during the Ottoman era.}}[http://alfredshaheen.com/BishopMuseum/BishopMuseum-Legacy.html "The Celebration of Ethnic Diversity in Alfred Shaheen's Textile Designs"], Linda Arthur Bradley, PhD, HI Fashion: The Legacy of Alfred Shaheen, November 10, 2012–February 4, 2013.[https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-2012-oct-21-la-tr-shirts-20121021-story.html "Alfred Shaheen's Influence Beyond the Hawaiian Shirt"], Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2012.[http://www.alfredshaheen.com/images/HonoluluAdvertiser_070206.pdf "Alfred Shaheen"], Mike Gordon, The Honolulu Advertiser, July 2, 2006.

In 1945, when Shaheen returned to Hawaii from the war, he joined his parents in their custom garment business. In 1948, Shaheen founded his own garment company. In the late 1940s, a dock strike and the Korean War severely curtailed importation of goods to Hawaii, so Shaheen made his own equipment from parts he found in Honolulu's junkyards to dye and finish fabrics under the brand name Surf 'n Sand Hand Prints.[http://www.alfredshaheen.com/shaheenhistory.htm Official website][https://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1869924,00.html "Alfred Shaheen: Pioneer of the Hawaiian Shirt"], Time, 2009.

Shaheen distributed his clothing all over the world. He believed in celebrating cultural diversity, and his artists adapted designs from authentic sources such as rare books and ancient artifacts. Shaheen and his staff visited Tahiti, Samoa, Hong Kong and Tokyo to study the designs of the Eastern Pacific Rim. Shaheen adapted these designs to textiles and produced the Pua Lani Pareau, Antique Tapa, and Joss Sticks handprints. Shaheen established "East Meets West" boutiques in the mid-1960s in major department stores across the country.

Shaheen's designs were featured in the pages of fashion magazines such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Harper's Bazaar. His clothes and fabrics were sold all over the world, including Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Bullock's."Beyond Island Wear", Paula Rath, Humanities, The Magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, March/April 2013.

In the 1960s, the company diversified, adding footwear, drapery, jewelry, fragrance, and pattern kits complete with fabric and coconut buttons.

• Metallic dyes: Together with Dr. Edmund Lutz, his friend and head dye chemist, Shaheen created over 100 metallic colors, including gold, silver, sapphire, ruby, and emerald. These metallic dyes are lightfast, chlorine- and saltwater-resistant, and can withstand the rigors of the tropics. Sometimes the metallics would outline a print, and other times the metallics were used for the print itself."Fashion Forward", Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi, Hawai'i Magazine, December 2012.
• Engineered print
• Pop-up shop, store-within-a-store boutique

Shaheen's fabrics have been used by various labels, including Reyn Spooner, Andrades, McInerny, Liberty House, Waltah Clarke, Speedo, and Stetson. Shaheen's name and label are typically found on the selvedge of these fabrics. Shaheen has also licensed prints for manufacture in European countries. In 2021 Wall coverings were added to the collections under the Brenda Houston label Wallcovetings

Shaheen retired in 1988 and died on December 22, 2008, due to complications from type 2 diabetes.

• Bishop Museum, November 10, 2012 – February 28, 2013{{cite web|last=Ahearn|first=Yvonne|url=http://www.homeshoppehawaii.com/blog/2013/2/3/alfred-shaheen-vintage-hawaiian-shirt-exhibit-extended.html |title=Alfred Shaheen Vintage Hawaiian Shirt Exhibit: Extended|publisher=Home Shoppe Hawaii|date=2013-02-03}}
• Maui Arts & Cultural Center, September 4, 2011 – October 29, 2011{{cite web|url=http://mauiarts.org/exhibit-detail.php?id=35 |title=Exhibit Detail |publisher=Maui Arts & Cultural Center|date=2011-10-29}}
• Washington State University, April 7, 2011 – May 3, 2011{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Brian|url=http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/news-release/2011/03/08/hawaiian-textiles-exhibit-opens-at-wsu-on-moms-weekend/ |title=Hawaiian Textiles Exhibit Opens at WSU on Mom’s Weekend|publisher=Washington State University|date=2011-03-08}}
• Arab American National Museum, October 7, 2010 – March 13, 2011{{cite web|url=http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/alfred.shaheen.fabric.to.fashion |title=Hawaii's Alfred Shaheen: Fabric to Fashion |publisher=Arab American Museum}}
• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, May 18, 2010 – August 8, 2010

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• {{official website|https://www.alfredshaheen.com/}}

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Category:1922 births

Category:2008 deaths

Category:American textile industry businesspeople

Category:Whittier College alumni

Category:United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II

Category:American people of Lebanese descent