(From FrolicHawaii.com 11/24/2014) – Amanda Stevens

Kitty Wo (Emma’s mother), Emma Wo – 2015 Miss Hawaii USA, Kyla Hee – 2015 Miss Hawaii Teen USA, and Luana Alapa (Kyla’s mother and former Miss Hawaii 1987)

Emma Wo was crowned the new Miss Hawaii USA, while Kyla Hee captured the Miss Hawaii Teen USA title on Sunday at the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa.

The 24-year-old Wo, a PR account executive and model, is the daughter of Kitty and Buzz Wo, (local business leaders and philanthropists). She also won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2008 pageant and will represent Hawaii at the next Miss USA pageant. She aspires to own her own PR and marketing firm specializing in fashion.

The 17-year-old Hee, who will represent Hawaii in the next Miss Teen USA pageant, is a student at Mid-Pacific Institute and would like to become an actress and entrepreneur. Her parents are Mark Hee, and Luana Alapa who won the Miss Hawaii crown in 1987.

We had a chance to chat with the new title holders:

Emma Wo during the swimsuit and evening gown competition at the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa. Photos courtesy of Dale Mills.

When did you know you wanted to compete for this pageant?
Wo: When I was Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 2008 I knew back then that I wanted to do what I could to give back to the community, and one way to reach even more people is to become Miss Hawaii USA someday.

Hee: Up until recently, I didn’t think this was for me. My confidence wasn’t there, and it could have been because of my dyslexia; I thought I wasn’t good enough. But prepping for this has given me newfound confidence, and I feel like I am really becoming the person that I was meant to be.

Kyla Hee during the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Photos courtesy of Dale Mills.

Besides winning the title, what has been the best part of your experience?
Wo: It has been my family, no doubt. I couldn’t have done this without them. They’ve been there for me through everything, from the time I competed for this title two years ago, they’ve helped me emotionally, financially and mentally. I’ve also enjoyed growing with the other contestants and have made many new friends.

Hee: My family. I couldn’t have done this without them. They have calmed me down when I needed their strength. They’ve supported me and helped me to be more confident and to believe in myself. I also loved that two of the other contestants were my friends from middle school. It was great to spend time with them, and make new friends.

A little about the 2014 title holders…

The outgoing Miss Hawaii USA Moana Hara is no stranger to competition, prior to winning the 2014 title, she was Hawaii’s Most Outstanding Teen in 2007. Since then she has gone on to model locally and internationally. She continues her community service raising awareness about dyslexia.

The outgoing Miss Hawaii Teen USA Mariah Gosling is an avid runner and a former high school valedictorian who aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon. She will continue her studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

(From FrolicHawai.com 11/1/2014) – Amanda Stevens

Photo by Travis Okimoto

Coming off a successful first year, Hawaii Fashion Month co-founders Melissa White and Toby Portner recently announced at a press conference the month-long activities that aim to cultivate, elevate, celebrate and promote Hawaii’s fashion industry. Fashion heavy hitters, including “Project Runway” Season 13 phenom Kini Zamora, converged at The Modern Honolulu along with Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who proclaimed November as Hawaii Fashion Month.

Portner and White made it clear that last year’s month-long event was a success because it was community driven. This year, the focus will be on elevating Hawaii fashion and taking the industry to the next level. One way is through mentoring workshops that provide hands-on professional development opportunities. Hawaii Fashion Exchange (HFX) mentors are fashion professionals with international experience and ties to Hawaii. Their range of talent is pretty vast. Here’s a glimpse of what to expect: Mark Arbeit, a fashion photographer who’s shot for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar; Louda Larrain is a couture, art and textile designer; Bliss Lau, a jewelry designer teaches at Parson’s School of Design; and Roman Young specializes in model talent and scouting from Wilhelmina New York.

There is an eclectic range of event offerings this year, as part of Hawaii Fashion Month. They include:

Nov. 1: Fashion ForWARD – the opening event takes place at the IBM Building and coincides with the opening of the HFX photography exhibition at Ward Village throughout the month of November.

Nov. 1: Grey Goose Social Club at The Modern Honolulu.

Nov. 2: “Your Dapper” menswear launch party at Aston Waikiki Beach Coconut Club.

Nov. 2, 3:  Roque Cozzette bridal and beauty make-up techniques at the Hifi Coop.

Nov. 6-9:  Honolulu Fashion Week presented by Honolulu Magazine will assemble a creative team of industry experts to produce the event week to include fashion show producer/director (and HFX mentor) Lynne O’Neill and wardrobe stylist Don Sumada.

Nov. 6: Honolulu Fashion Week VIP Preview Night – “Live Aloha” runway show.

Nov. 7: Honolulu Fashion Week Neiman Marcus runway show.

Nov. 8: Honolulu Fashion Week “Active” runway show, and Hawaiian Airlines presents Maoli Arts Month Wearable Art Show

Nov. 9: Hifi Connects at Honolulu Fashion Week – Industry panel and networking presentations. Honolulu Fashion Week closing events.

Nov. 15: Kailua designer showcase with Hannalei Taylor at Global Village.

Nov. 20: Indie Visual List presents Iconica – Fiber Hawaii Meets Fashion at the Honolulu Museum of Art School.

Nov. 22: Waikiki Roots and Royal Style fashion show and reception at The Grove at Royal Hawaiian Center. The event will honor the achievements of Hawaii fashion designers, stylists and business owners at Royal Hawaiian Center. Ensembles styled from locally owned businesses from the center. The event will begin with a special kick-off, followed by a runway show and VIP reception.

Nov. 22: Our Night Out – Kona at the Brewery Block at Kona Brewing Company in Kailua, Kona.

Nov. 28: Fishcake presents Fishmarket – features a designer marketplace and fashion show curated and produced by Reise Kochi at the Fishcake gallery.

Nov. 29: Art+Flea present Outfit at Ward Village – this event features local designers and artisans, perfectly timed for Small Business Saturday.

Follow Frolic Hawaii and I’ll take you behind-the-scenes getting you the latest scoops about Hawaii Fashion Month.

(From FrolicHawaii.com 10/22/2014) – Amanda Stevens

With the “Project Runway” season finale happening tomorrow, Thursday, Oct, 23, it looks to be a close race between the top four designers. Yes, I have been able to interview Hawaii’s Kini Zamora after the challenges, but I really have no clue as to who took home the prize. The last two episodes of season 13 were intense, and it was clear that no one is safe. In preparation for the big finale, here’s a short recap and my prediction:

Who’s In and Who’s Out (episode 12)

The challenge was to create a street-chic look inspired by New York City, and a new look from a losing challenge. The judges loved Zamora’s red, one-shoulder dress (described as “extraordinary”) that he repurposed from Mitchell Perry’s losing design. In the workroom, mentor Tim Gunn told Zamora to ramp up his denim skirt. It proved to be bad advice; the judges weren’t impressed with the ruffles and said, “less is more,” but they loved the trench coat.

There was no winner in that episode, but Zamora, Sean Kelly, Char Glover and Amanda Valentine moved on to show at New York Fashion Week.

Finale Part 1 (episode 13)

The designers went to Rome on an inspiration tour to create their final collection. Gunn served as their guide, and it was great to see the friendly rapport between the designers as they toured Italian monuments and sipped wine.

All fun aside, after returning home, each designer had five weeks to complete their 10-look collection. Gunn visited each designer in their hometown. Needless to say, the Hawaii visit was the most entertaining. In true local fashion, Zamora’s family and friends threw a heartfelt authentic luau and even gave him a short hula lesson.

While in his garage/design space, Zamora confessed that upon his return, he had a bit of designer’s block. Gunn was encouraging and loved his beginning pieces. Fast forward to the judges’ reaction of a sneak preview of three looks. Zamora seemed to have the harshest criticism and was asked to basically do-over his collection. If anyone can pull out a new chic collection with little time, it’s him. Take a look at the montage of looks above from Zamora’s original collection. Stay tuned to see how he revamps it all. I can’t wait!

(From FrolicHawaii.com 7/25/2014) – Amanda Stevens

On Thursday, Hawaii’s own, or specifically Kapolei’s own, Kiniokahokuloa “Kini” Zamora made his debut on Lifetime’s “Project Runway” season 13.

Zamora, a graduate of Honolulu Community College’s Fashion Technology program, furthered his studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He’s the fourth from Hawaii to make the show. Previous contestants include Jay Sario of season 7, and Ari South and Ivy Higa in season 8. Zamora has a KZ and KZAloha line under KiniandDinko and has been making quite the splash in Hawaii’s fashion scene. I had the chance to work with Zamora in preparation for two fashion editorials for Expression magazine in 2011 and recognized his self-confidence and timeless sense of style.

Last year, during Hawaii Fashion Month, some of his elaborate statement pieces were showcased on the runway at the Governor’s Fashion Awards. To recap, there were two episodes, the first featuring final presentations from 19 designers where the judges would make the final cut, narrowing it down to 16 designers. When it was Kini’s turn to showcase his rack of looks, I knew he made it through when Nina Garcia, the shows toughest judge said, “I. Love. It!” His name was called in the middle of the pack, which indicates that he is in safe mode.

Once the actual show began, and they settled into their apartment, you could see that Zamora’s personality would be strong enough to garner future air time. But, I was disappointed to see that he had no air time in the work room, and we didn’t get a chance to hear Tim Gunn’s advice for Zamora’s first challenge.

Here’s my critique of the looks for this episode, starting with Kini. Judge Zac Posen’s tweet says it all:

I was impressed with Zamora’s clean lines and perfect pleats. I wish the model kept the denim jacket on longer. Known for his quick and intricate sewing skills, he seemed to have finished with time to spare.

My favorite design was by Fade. I loved the Chanelesque vibe of the dress, something definitely first lady worthy. I can’t wait to see what else he does.

Mitchell was super sweet, but his one-piece romper was unpolished and passé – and not at all ’80s homage that he told Tim Gunn he was going for. He should have been sent home instead of Jefferson.

The judges fell in love with Sandhya from final presentations. They love her social statement pieces and she’s great at sharing the back story and inspiration behind her looks.

She might have won the challenge, but I think her look was over-rated and reminded me of a very fashion-forward victim of the zombie apocalypse.

Perhaps, next week, I’ll get why they love her.