Otaheite Clothing Line and Boutique
When does a clothing designer who’s only been designing for a matter of months sell out designs in a matter of weeks? When she’s Tiare Lawrence of the instantly in vogue clothing line (and boutique by the same name) Otaheite Hawaii.
In the 70’s, before Tiare was even born, her parents John and Sharon Lawrence started the original Otaheite. Otaheite became a popular brand of clothing in those days – aloha shirts, bikinis, dresses, and shorts- were made out of fabrics that they designed, which they sold out of their own stores on Oahu and Maui. But her parents got out of the industry, and Tiare grew up knowing nothing about retail or design, meaning this new phase of Otaheite is 100% Tiare-grown.
If you are a fan of Otaheite (and there are lots of you) – first things first. The ‘news bulletin’ just came out over Facebook today that Tiare has received a shipment and the online store and the Wailea boutique are currently being restocked up with pareu, Honolua dresses and Hulali dresses!
Tiare describes Otaheite Hawaii as a “beach chic clothing line inspired by Maui’s unique ocean lifestyle”. She takes her love of the ocean and Hawaiian background and applies it to her custom fabric prints.
Tiare took a quick break from her crazy busy schedule to answer a few questions:
Maui Made: How long have you been designing clothes and fabric?
Tiare Lawrence : I just started a year and a half ago.
MM: What inspires your designs?
TL: Everything Hawaii, I mainly draw inspiration from Maui’s ocean and native plant life
MM: I hear your fabrics are available for a limited time only – is this to keep your stock fresh? How long is each line around for?
TL: Yes, we want every collection to be unique and limited. We have 2 lines a year.
MM: What is the best part of doing business on Maui?
TL: Being able to make people feel pretty
MM: I saw lots of other local designers featured in your shop – Why do you like to support other local businesses with your retail shop?
TL: It’s important that we support each other and support local. Having a store allows me to showcase local artists.
MM: What’s next for Otaheite?
TL: Hopefully a 2nd store one day
Otaheite Celebrated its first anniversary in June, 2013
MM: So you have a clothing line, a retail store and online shop, and two kids? How do you do it?
TL: I barely manage to pull it off actually. Let’s just say there’s a lot of sleepless nights.
MM: Do you have any time for fun? I hear you are a big-wave surfer… Catching the waves lately?
TL: Not as much as before but I always make time on Sundays for beach days with my kids. I enjoy beach time even more now that I have my kids.
Where: Wailea Gateway – Near Monkeypod Restaurant
When: Open Monday through Saturday, 10am – 9pm, Sunday – 10am – 6pm
Follow: Otaheite on Facebook
Click the links read more about the history of both the original Otaheite and Tiare’s vision:
And for more about Otaheite’s beautiful logo and branding, check out this post by Kauai-based designer Ashley Johnston –
Maui Made 