Kunahs

Canoe becomes Kunahs: A new brand image and lots of new merchandise

Canoe Clothing Company found out that it did not own the right to use its own name on imprinted sportswear, and was unable to settle the issue. The new name, Kunahs, is an adaptation of a well known Waikiki surf spot, Cunah's.

Times had changed in the 7 years since Canoe opened its first store. The market had shifted, and a number of stores and restaurants were now knocking off the kama‘aina look that Canoe had pioneered. Changing the name to Kunahs and redesigning the flagship Ala Moana Center store gave the owners a chance to reposition the store's image and to target a younger crowd, male and female.

Before we picked up a pencil, we spent some time researching Hawaii's graphic design history. Instead of following the classic rules of identity development (one logo, use it everywhere!) we opted for a new strategy: building the new identity out of a family of images, from a variety of graphic styles. The result is not a rigid logo system, but a lively family of Hawaiian elements that appear in different combinations across the range of identification and promotional applications. It is a difficult system to imitate and it helps build the knowing yet irreverent personality of Kunahs.

A prime feature of the new identity is its ability to launch a line of branded merchandise. It is economical and powerful because the investment in design is leveraged across many applications, building profits while it builds the brand. Elements are constantly added to the graphic family, keeping the look fresh and the merchandise flowing.

Exterior sign at Kunahs Ala Moana

The employee ID tag is a small wooden surfboard with Kunahs laser-etched into it.

Even the receipt paper got the custom treatment.

We designed a series of in-store posters to promote the new name and identity. Six months later, the owner of the store adopted a dog that looked just like the one above. His kids named him Kunah.

The gift certificate was printed in a metallic copper ink on a tapa-esque paper, giving the old school look a contemporary twist.

The same image, this time on a T-shirt. These three applications of this particular image give a good idea of our approach to integrating the identity throughout the company.

A series of applications of the identity to merchandise. The dog has become a retail sensation and is the inspiration for a constant stream of designs.

The letterhead system was printed on an old style 100% recycled paper. In keeping with our irreverent edge, Al Sieverts, Kunahs' founder and spiritual leader, received the honorary title of Managing Director.

Learning from Tahiti, we amped up the color on the storefront. The combination lights inside the store give off a warm, homelike feeling, appropriate to our metaphor.

The view from just inside the front door, in the lanai area. To the right, the desk and bookshelves have been converted to fixtures and the classic cable spool table into a display. On the walls are photos of Checkers and Pogo, Ariyoshi and Jesse, and posters of Crater Festivals and C&K concerts.

We created this fictitious company and logo and had it produced in neon for the "garage" part of the store.

Another of the in-store posters surrounded by merchandise and our own special blend of kitsch.

Hale‘iwa, circa 1973

"I spent a lot of time on the North Shore in the early 70's so I knew the lifestyle pretty well. An old house would be chopped up and rented out to as many surfers as would fit. They would then furnish it with whatever someone else was getting rid of. This made for some real hamajang living situations – a great metaphor for Kunahs.

"We imagined the store as a lanai in front, a living room, and a garage in back. We designed the fixtures around this idea, and decorated each area with appropriate artifacts and icons. The whole store has a ring of authenticity that elevates it above its more prosaic competitors and imitators. Because of this, our branded environment resonates more deeply and builds stronger associations for its customers. It's also a lot more fun!"

- Oren Schlieman,
   Creative Director

These photos show the back of the store, the garage area. Along with the assortment of tools and spare VW hubcaps that any self respecting surfer's garage would have, we added an old gas pump, refrigerator fixture, an indoor/outdoor shower and plenty of other cool "stuffs."

A new Kunahs at Waikiki Beach

Kunahs' owner, Al Sieverts, decided to open a store on Kalakaua Avenue, right across from the most famous section of Waikiki Beach. Only a very cool, original concept would do justice to the location. After a couple of sunset beers at Duke's, Al and I decided that modeling the store on a Polynesian beach-side marketplace would be the way to go.

We take our storytelling seriously. We'll typically spend a week or two on primary research, building a toolkit of ideas and motifs that will bring an edge of credibility to our brand. Alas, modern Hawai‘i is almost bereft of any helpful references to the real old style.

Since the first Hawaiians came from Tahiti...

In search of authentic Hawai‘i, we set off on a week-long adventure to Moorea, Raiatea and Tahiti. We explored the markets, the hotels, the architecture, the colors and the motifs. By the end of the week, we were either going to stay in Tahiti forever or pretend that going back to Hawai‘i was really important.

Kunahs Polynesian Market

In the same way that Hilo's Main Street sparked one of our early Canoe store designs, the wildly colorful and spontaneous Tahitian market place inspired the theme we conjured up for Kunahs by the sea.

Mixed in among the Chanels and Vuittons on Kala¯kaua Avenue, the most competitive mile of retail on the planet, was a lone Hawaiian store. The lease required a glass storefront, we pretended the glass didn't exist.

The view from just inside the door. The ceiling is the color of my favorite lagoon on Moorea, the floor coconut wood, and each stall was designed with different materials.

The materials and finishes included driftwood, bamboo, tapa, pareau fabric, bright paint, rusty tin, old Chinese and Tahitian newspapers, rope, sennit, and just about anything else that would drift up on a beach in Tahiti.

We were fortunate to have Tuione, the master carver, as part of our team. He carved the King of Tonga's throne and worked his magic throughout the store.

This fixture was made from the old tanker surfboards you can rent across the street. The ‘ohi‘a posts were from the Big Island, the lauhala wallcovering from Tonga, and the galvanized pipe fixturing from Kilgo's Hardware on Sand Island.

The cash wrap was modeled on a combination beachside bar and fresh fish stand near Gauguin's house on Tahiti. The colors were alive, the laughter real, and the poison cru and beer hit the spot.

The informal presentation belies a rigorous fixturing program. In this corner stall, the shipping crates were removable so that the entire space could be changed to hanging during the high volume season. With few exceptions, this custom system ran throughout the store. We're proud to say there isn't a piece of chrome or a slatwall panel in any of Kunahs' fine retail establishments.

In the spirit of the Tahitian talent for improvisation we raided hardware stores and our relatives' garages for parts. In the end we amassed an eclectic assortment of materials from which much of the store was built. Some of the freestanding fixtures were as simple as a 2"x10" with galvanized pipe faceouts. Others were based on crates cut at odd angles and painted in bright colors. The store is fun, inviting and friendly, just like Tahiti.