Fashion designer Kirsha Whitcher of Perth-based label Salasai has come a long way since she launched the brand in her home turf of Hawke’s Bay in 2006. To mark the milestone of a new collection, a recent family holiday to Hawaii was the perfect opportunity to mix business with pleasure.
With extended family in Hawaii and her son Teomner preparing to attend University in the United States, Hawaii is now a familiar place for Kirsha Whitcher.
“I have been to Hawaii many times now as an adult. For me, it is a home away from home as my little sister married a Hawaiian and their family has been living there for 15 years now,” she says. “But this is the first time I have been to Hawaii in search of the perfect location to shoot a campaign for my clothing brand, Salasai. It has been a dream to shoot local models. So, with this in mind, we planned a trip to my favourite island, the one place where as a little girl I had always dreamed of going — O’ahu on the southeast coast.”
Days 1-3
After 18 hours transit from Perth to O’ahu, I arrived. I was immediately greeted by the warm sun and lots of welcoming hugs from family, and headed straight for Waikiki.
Of all the places to visit in O’ahu, Waikiki has it all — that island-city mix where there’s a real vibe with groups of people playing beach volleyball, music pumping, couples dressed up walking hand in hand down the streets, families with children holding icecreams, people lined up outside restaurants, girls sunbathing near-naked on the sand, palm trees lining every street and my favourite — the smell of sea air.
After a day sunbathing, I helped myself to the free outside showers, threw on something light and walked down the main street in search of dinner. Hawaii has the best local stores, such as the ABC store, featuring everything you left behind by accident including towels and sunhats. You can also find fresh fruit, gelato, Hawaiian chocolates and everything in between. It’s like a supermarket of the most fun products from Hawaii.
Days 4-8
We started doing some island exploring for our Salasai campaign shoot. We had our choice of rivers, mountains, forests, waterfalls and beaches. My sister, Ashleigh, who knows where everything is in Hawaii (I told her she should be a location scout!), took me everywhere. I think half the fun of shooting is finding your perfect location.
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Advertise with NZME.For me, it was important to bring some of the traditional beauty of Hawaii to each photograph. On the day we found the first location, it was overcast and close to rain. But as soon as I stood in that spot, I knew it was the destination.
The second destination is a place that’s close to my heart: the Ko’olau mountain ranges. These are mountains as majestic as the eye can see that offer so much depth to Hawaii.
Days 8-10
We spent time around the island visiting our favourite eateries, going out for dinner and trying new local food. Our favourite smoothie bowl venue was The Sunrise Shack across the road from Sunset Beach on the North Shore — what a location. I loved the tropical bowl, but the blue dream bowl was just as good!
We explored all of O’ahu’s famous beaches from Sunset to Pipeline and on to Waimea, all living up to their reputation of beauty. In summer the waves are small, so it is safe to swim. However, visit in winter in January-February and you’ll have a front-row seat to the popular Billabong Pro Pipeline surf competition. The waves then can go up to six metres high.
Our favourite food truck had to be Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. Everyone has to try the lemon butter shrimp. If you like raw fish you must try the poké bowls — they are everywhere and a Hawaiian delicacy. Driving along the North Shore you’ll see plenty of places to stop and explore the many flavours of Hawaii.
Our favourite restaurant has to be Lei Lei’s Bar and Grill near Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore. From the warm crab dip to the ahi tuna steaks, to the signature prime rib beef roasted all day, this place is a must-go for our family.
Day 11
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Advertise with NZME.We stayed in holiday accommodation in Laie that my sister manages, which is convenient when visiting. It was especially great to prepare for our shoot, meet our models and do our fittings before the shoot. Our models were all locals.
I had imagined freedom, love, effortless movement, natural hair and makeup. A feeling of home. Salasai sizes range from sizes 8-18 and we worked with an amazing model Mahealani to showcase our progress to a better size range. Our models were Kimorah Wong, Tuua Cravens, and Mahealani Rowland.
Day 12
We all met at 5.30am because we wanted to make sure hair and makeup were completed early and the tide was out. We had to be shooting at 8am when the sea was calm and maximum sand was visible.
Destination 1: Ka’a’awa Beach — our idyllic anchoring location for the shoot. I’d worked with our photographer, Kamy, a local, before. She was perfect for this project. I was able to brief her on my vision for the shoot and she captured it so well. She captured the beauty of Ka’a’awa Beach. We all wore our bikinis because we knew we’d end up in the water at some stage during the shoot.
Destination 2: Ho’omaluhia Botanical Reserve — lush green Ko’olau mountain ranges. This place has a lot of depth. To me, it is the heartbeat of Hawaii — sacred, majestic and epic on all levels. What a privilege to be able to shoot there. The models felt it too and you can see in the photographs how the location impacted them. It was so beautiful to witness.
Days 13-15
On my final few days in Hawaii, we packed up and spent my birthday at what is my now favourite resort, Ko Olina Beach Club, which is part of the Marriot Group. What a destination.
On the west coast of O’ahu it includes private lagoons, restaurants, hula-dancing classes and my favourite detail — the beachside sun loungers with full restaurant service! My favourite island and place to be — always my home away from home.
