When Kaʻanoʻi Akaka Ruth was a little girl and people asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would matter-of-factly answer, “An astronaut.” Perhaps it was because she was immersed in a school astronomy project. Or perhaps it was because even at a young age she believed that “the sky was the limit” for her ambitions.
By the time she was 12, Akaka Ruth had modified her career goal, setting her heart on becoming a fashion designer. Today, she is living her dream and she still believes in thinking big.
In 2021, during the height of the pandemic, she founded Keha Hawaiʻi, her own clothing brand, as an exclusively online store. Akaka Ruth was intentional about her startup and products, and the result is a business model solidly aligned with her values.
The colors and patterns that Akaka Ruth uses in her designs are inspired by the natural beauty of Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, where she was born and raised. – Photos: Nick Smith of Content In Motion
Today, Keha Hawaiʻi is still primarily operating online, but Akaka Ruth also participates in pop-up mākeke at locations like the Kākoʻo Hawaiʻi Market (during the Merrie Monarch Festival), Hoʻomau Market, Pai Ka Leo, and the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival.
And she plans to unveil a new line of clothing at this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo (April 20-26) and at the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Honolulu (August 15-27).
Akaka Ruth credits her mom as the source of her inspiration and the primary influence over her career choice. “My mom taught me how to sew and I was hooked,” Akaka Ruth said. “It came naturally for me.”
Akaka Ruth’s older sister, Hōkū, was another influence. “She was so fashionable growing up, and I would always wear her clothes,” she laughed.
Her ʻohana has a running joke that fashion runs in their family. “My grandmother, my father and I would all show up for church wearing clothes in the same shade of green,” Akaka Ruth said. “We always laugh that fashion is in my genes.”
Akaka Ruth grew up in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, and both of her parents were Hawaiian language teachers. She attended Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue, a Hawaiian language immersion school, before transferring to St. Andrew’s Priory for ninth grade and then to Kamehameha Schools Kapālama in the 10th grade.
She earned a degree in Hawaiian Studies at UH Mānoa while completing fashion courses on the side. After graduating, she worked as a teacher at Royal Elementary School on Queen Emma Street in downtown Honolulu.
But at the urging of both her mom and her husband, Akaka Ruth eventually went back to school at Honolulu Community College (HCC) enrolling in the Fashion Technology program. At HCC, she was a student worker in the college’s Native Hawaiian Center and continues to serve there today.
It was while she was attending UH, however, that her entrepreneurial spirit began to emerge. She started an accessory brand and became recognized for her turban-style headbands and beanie caps popular with cancer patients dealing with hair loss from chemotherapy. And because she was so adept at sewing, she also took on occasional projects, sewing special outfits for her friends, for hālau, and for various schools.
Akaka Ruth is proud to be a Native Hawaiian Christian, and seamlessly blends her cultural roots, values and faith to offer the best version of herself in her work and to those around her. There was a lot of thought, introspection and prayer to bring her business to fruition.
“Prayer is a big part of what guides me,” she said. “I even questioned if fashion was what I should be doing as a Native Hawaiian. [But] I believe we need Native Hawaiians in all sectors.”
There is a refreshing humility about Akaka Ruth, who emphasizes that she still has much to learn and accomplish in her chosen profession.
Growing up in Kāneʻohe Akaka Ruth was surrounded by richness and beauty of God’s creation – which inspires the prints she designs for her clothing line. For example, Kāneʻohe is known for its puakenikeni – so one of her signature designs is a striking rendering of puakenikeni blossoms in vibrant orange and green.
Her fluency in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is also foundational to her approach to design.
With the help of an OHA Mālama Loan, Akaka Ruth is expanding her business and plans to incorporate accessories into her brand along with children’s clothes.
But even as she grows her business, she is committed to continuing to design her fabrics herself and use local subcontractors for the sewing. And when smaller orders do not meet minimum volume requirements for the subcontractors, she will continue to do the sewing herself.
Akaka Ruth is just getting started and has big plans for the near future. She would eventually like to have a storefront with multiple locations in the next few years. And she would like to return to teaching someday and create a community gathering space to talk story; a space where people can meet and learn from one another.
“God has a plan, and we must be open to doing His will,” Akaka Ruth reflected. “People have said that my prints bring back memories of their own childhoods. I’m just so honored to be able to express who I am through my designs.”
