‘Project Runway’ star Kini Zamora presents new collection at Iolani Palace

Palaka takes to the runway.

Last weekend, Kini Zamora presented his Spring Summer collection in one of the longest runways I’ve seen on the grounds fronting Iolani Palace in Honolulu. Looks layered with varied fabrics, ruffles and frills, the collection contained casual, sporty items and everything in-between up to and including formalwear. A noticable element was the use of palaka (plaid-print cloth) in his designs, utilized in many of the looks in different ways. Palaka is a nod to Hawaii’s history—it was commonly worn by plantation laborers in the 19th century—as does his pieces stamped with King Kalakaua’s portrait, “Hawaii” and bags bearing the Hawaiian flag. See a selection of Kini Zamora’s collection below.

All photos by David Croxford