Aloha from Wings Hawaii, a women-owned small business in Paia, Maui. Our jewelry and garments are lovingly handmade by local artisans, with eco-consciousness at our forefront, and a deep commitment to expert craftsmanship and artistry. All our original pieces are designed from the heart, with deep love for our island home.
If you’re new here, you can read the full Wings Hawaii story in our “This is Us” and “Great Moments in Wings History” blogs, but here’s where to get to know the individual gals behind the brand.
Behind our products are very real (and very cool) people. Take a peek inside our Haiku studio in the historic Pauwela Cannery, and you’ll find our seamstresses and jewelers pouring their hearts into their handiworks. On any given day, you can see Melody firing on mermaid decals to her latest set of epic vintage dishware she scored at an estate sale. Maiya screen-printing our infamous Posi Vibes and whale designs onto tote bags and t-shirts. Sam at her jewelry table, designing her next masterpiece in 14-karat gold. Angie perfecting a detailed wirewrap on a gemstone necklace. Tara snapping product photos in between creating a new batch of ti leaf bangles. Upstairs in the sewing studio, you’ll find Bridget and Olia cutting and sewing aloha print collages for our jackets and jeans, or maybe crafting new boyfriend flannels. Meanwhile, over at our Paia boutique, you’ll find Becky, Kat, and Birgitte connecting with customers and working their merchandising magic to make the store oh-so-gorgeous and welcoming.
It’s this dream team that makes Wings Hawaii thrive. A small-but-mighty force of incredible women, each bringing their own special skill sets to the bigger picture. We adore our Wings team, so read on to get to know us all a bit better!
MEET THE TEAM!
Samantha, Lead Designer
Typical day at Wings: Little bit of this, little bit of that… Today I stopped in the store to grab jewelry for a shoot, came to the studio and organized, made a ti leaf lei for a friend, went through old clothes to donate, did flat lay photos, checked in with the sewing gals for critique and assignments. Now I’m doing this before I eat lunch and organize all the jewelry to send back - THEN I’ll make some notes on our email campaigns. Next I’ll go back to reviewing summer and holiday, because I love working on the year’s road map. After that, I am working on our Valentines launch before I pick up my kiddo from preschool. It’s a lot! And not all days look the same. I love the variety, and I also love the slow moments where I get to sit at my jewelry bench all day, designing and making pretty things.
Hobbies: Gardening
Dislikes: Too many to list, hahahaha. Misspelled words.
Hidden talent: I’m very good at eyeballing things level
Celebrity crush: Lukas Nelson
What made me laugh today: the Austrian tongue choir
Wildest dream: living on a boat sailing the Mediterranean
Favorite Paia insider tip: I always suggest if you only get to have one meal in town, to go to Paia Fish Market. The line can look intimidating, but it moves fast, and there’s always a seat when you’re done ordering so don’t stress it. And get the fish burger. It’s a fat slab of fresh fish, delicious cole slaw, and if you like a little bit of spice, do it Cajun style.
Life is all about: enjoying yourself and experiencing love in every way you can.
Favorite Wings product at the moment: Tiger tees. I have four. I just wear the shucks outta them and the fit is everything I want in a tee.
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? My life. But no seriously, we are a full lifestyle brand. Things for your home, your body, your kitchen! A little bit of something for everything.
Becky, Store Manager
Typical day at Wings: I am always curating and organizing the store while helping customers shop, fielding emails and phone calls, completing orders, and enjoying it all alongside my fellow Wings gals. There is never a dull moment in our vibrant boutique!
Hobbies: surfing, snorkeling, hiking, gardening, and doing anything crafty
Greatest achievement: Helping raise my youngest brother Andrew
Dislikes: Negative & aggressive people. Smoky flavored foods & drinks
Claim to Fame: served Arnold Palmer an Arnold Palmer on the Arnold Palmer course 🤓
Current obsession: The Beckham family drama
Hottest take: what’s a sandwich without a bag of chips
Celebrity crush: JGL
Favorite movie quote: “As you wish”
Life is all about: Being kind, most of all to yourself.
Favorite Wings product at the moment: The 14k Astra Moody Tourmaline Ring
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? A flutter of kind, hardworking butterflies & mermaids creating unique pieces that spark joy and beauty
Melody, Founder/Maker
Typical day at Wings: I love to start the day at the shop before it opens when it’s quiet, restocking items on the floor and running inventory. Afterwards I head to the studio and depending on the day, will either spend the afternoon pulling items to restock the shop, screen print clothing, decaling dishware or I’ll write and submit vendor orders. Or any combo thereof!
Hobbies: Shell hunting, thrifting, keeping my kid alive.
Hidden talent: I have insanely good parking juju, hahaha! I score rockstar parking pretty much everywhere I go. I also make a mean ti leaf lei.
Favorite quote: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” I’ve grown to love this saying and think of it often. I’d love for our business to continue to grow and thrive, and to bring our team and all our vendors up with us.
Favorite thing about working at Wings: Genuinely enjoying what I do each day and working with people who feel the same way—it makes for a really positive work environment. Each team member gets to use their special talent and skills, whether it’s sewing clothing and accessories, fabricating jewelry, writing fabulous descriptions for the website, photography and editing, sharing our products in the store, etc. It’s really cool to me that we’ve collected this team of amazing women who share their talents with us. It’s very rewarding to know that we’re creating opportunities not just for ourselves, but for others as well.
Favorite Wings story: Back in 2007, a guy sought us out because he thought we were a chicken wing restaurant. He and his wife were surprised to walk in and find us screenprinting tees in our tiny shop! Although they thought they were getting lunch, they ended up shopping with us and continued to be frequent Wings shoppers for many years to come!
How I envision Wings in the next 20 years: Hopefully grooving right along in Paia town. Inspiring the next generations to be creative and follow their dreams.
Angi, Sales Associate & Assistant Jeweler
Typical day at Wings: Store – open up shop, connect with customers, sell all the things, giggle with coworkers. Studio – make jewelry, manage inventory, and support the team behind the scenes while listening to audiobooks
Hobbies: Discovering new hyper fixations, laying down, spontaneous dance breaks, making people laugh
Greatest achievement: Keeping my sense of humor alive, despite the daily horrors that persist
Claim to Fame: Misquoting memes and tweets with confidence and reenacting scenes incredibly animatedly
Hidden talent: I’m pretty good at Call of Duty and I can type 98 wpm with 100% accuracy
Current obsession: Glad you asked!
Sweets: Raspberry Green Tea & Haribo Sour Twin Snakes
Beats: Folded by DJ Noiz, Jessie Hill, and Sean Rii
Screens: Singles Inferno & Fallout
Reads: Freida McFadden
Hottest take: I’m very serious about being a lil silly
Celebrity crush: The holy trinity: Alexander Skarsgard, Henry Cavill, Michael B Jordan
What made me laugh today: The reels I watched for friend homework this morning
Wildest dream: Financial stability, outstanding health, unlimited time to hang out with my girlfriends, and my dog becoming immortal
Life is all about: Good friends, good food, and lots of snuggles
Favorite Wings product at the moment: Our new Charm Bar series is all so, so pretty and versatile!! *girl math*
Tara, Jeweler Assistant/Photographer
Typical day at Wings: making jewelry for the store, orders, or wholesale accounts and/or taking photos of products for the website. And every couple months, an editorial shoot for the website and socials.
Hobbies: freediving and underwater photography
Greatest achievement: living my dream of swimming with and photographing whales and sharks
Dislikes: being cold, people being mean to animals, not having a trip planned
Claim to Fame: I’m an identical twin and my sister gave birth to identical twin girls
Hidden talent: finding cheap airplane tickets
Current obsession: fantasy books (but they’ve been my obsession since learned to read)
Hottest take: an ocean dip a day keeps the doctor away
Celebrity crush: Michael B Jordan
What made me laugh today: the way my dog was sitting
Favorite movie quote: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us” - Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)
Wildest dream: photographing narwhals underwater in the Arctic
Favorite Paia insider tip: Mambo is my current fav place to eat or have a drink in Paia. Make sure to get on a whale watch if you’re here in the winter!
Life is all about: balance- make sure you take the time to do the things that bring you joy
Favorite Wings product at the moment: our 14k Charm Collector necklace with the extender and gold nugget with the diamond in it.
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? The cutest one-stop shop in Paia where you can get beautifully handcrafted, heirloom quality jewelry and clothing made in our Haiku studio, plus a whole host of other locally crafted goods.
Bridget, Seamstress
Typical day at Wings: You can find me upstairs in the sewing studio, surrounded by incredible vintage textiles and working on something fun and one of a kind. Whether that be cutting kantha quilts into jackets, sewing an appliqué collage or sorting through bins of doilies, it’s never a dull day at Wings!
Hobbies: Surfing, Thrifting, Hiking, Music
Hidden Talent: I love to sing! I’m trying to learn this rap in Spanish right now from a really cool artist called Biig Piig
Current obsession: Outlander!!
What made me laugh today: My kitty with his post-poop zoomies
Favorite Maui insider tip: Nuka is my favorite place to eat!
Life is all about: Taking risks, loving hard, laughing harder, and eating lots of good food!
Favorite Wings product at the moment: Boyfriend Flannels! They are all unique and soo much fun to make. Everybody needs at least one in their closet!
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? Conscious, cool, creative, badass women
Olia, Seamstress
Typical day at Wings: Sewing, cutting, and sewing more!
Hobbies: Aerial silks, surfing, crochet
Greatest achievement: my beautiful family
Dislikes: Dull sewing needles
Hidden talent: I bake decent sourdough
Current obsession: Aerial arts
Favorite poem: The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
Favorite Paia insider tip: I think the best restaurant in Paia is Cafe Des Amis.
Life is all about: Being present and choosing happiness.
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? Iconic Paia brand! Vintage, upcycled, intentional and feels like there is a lot of love poured into everything.
Kat, Store Manager
Typical day at Wings: Each day is a little different, but broadly speaking it includes keeping the store clean, the shelves stocked, the inventory organized, the systems optimized, the staff in sync, the orders fulfilled and the customers happy. Much like a matchmaker, I really enjoy uniting our art pieces (clothing, jewelry, accessories etc.) with their new lovers, their new owners. When you think about it, it’s kind of magical how something one person was inspired to create can resonate and fit so well with another person whom even they don't know. It’s a unique form of connection.
Greatest achievement: I still maintain the same email address I started with in 1999.
Dislikes: When people play their music aloud or have their phone conversation on speaker in public. Straight to jail for disturbing the peace.
Claim to Fame: I am the unofficial Gecko Mama of Hawaii, think Daenerys Targaryen with her dragons.
Favorite meme: You are asking a mother to pick a favorite child - impossible. I will say, recently I've been enjoying the "do you like surprises?" kid.
Current obsession: Researching skin care but feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information. Why didn't they teach us useful things like this in school??
Hottest take: Don't get me started on city planning... We should not be required to operate an automobile to acquire our essentials. Walkable communities ought to be the goal.
Celebrity Crush: More than individuals, I am inspired by celeb couples who seem really well paired and really and in love. Tom & Zendaya, Zooey Deschanel & Jonathan Scott, Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen come to mind.
What made me laugh today: Angi Taylor
Favorite Maui insider tip: I encourage visitors to just get in their car early in the morning and drive, see where you end up. The island is pretty small so it is not likely that you will get lost. Just be cautious of West Maui's Kahekili Hwy Route 340 as some sections do not have guardrails.
Life is all about: connecting and evolving
Favorite Wings product at the moment: When shopping for clothes, I prioritize quality fabric, flattering cuts and pretty colors/prints. The Boxy Button Ups hit all those marks. I ended up getting two for myself! As far as jewelry, I quite fancy the 14k Diamond Drop Earrings. They are unique, chic and sparkly.
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? I will defer to our many shoppers who squeal "cute… cuuute... cuuuute" several times while browsing. I hear this all day every day, and all I can say is, I agree!
Birgitte, Sales Team Member
Typical day at Wings: meeting the nicest customers and showing off the prettiest things!
Hobbies: Ashtanga yoga and trying to take pictures of the moon
Greatest achievement: getting my massage therapy license
Dislikes: fluorescent lighting, dirty floors, and systemic injustice
Claim to Fame: sometimes I can make a really good curlicue when I set the jewelry back into its case
Current obsession: all the pop divas!
Hottest take: cereal is delicious anytime of the day
Celebrity crush: too many to count
What made me laugh today: working with Angi, the queen of comedy
Favorite movie quote: “in big countries, such small things happen” - DDLJ (English translation)
Favorite meme: Hozier as sexy Squidward
Wildest dream: to be a genius scientist and save the world!
Favorite Maui insider tip: Make sure to eat a spam musubi from Foodland ;)
Life is all about: the in-between moments
Favorite Wings product at the moment: anything Herkimer!!
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? A sparkling treasure box under the sea 🌊✨
Maiya, Studio Assistant/Screen Printer
Typical day at Wings: I come in to either the store or studio, and get settled after usually exchanging a few giggles and hellos to the ladies. Then, I get right to work screen printing, tagging, organizing, or opening the shop. However I can be helpful to Wings that day!
Hobbies: Lots of art, always creating, I loooove music too! Listening and creating in that sense as well. I’ve been attempting to learn guitar for a while now….still don’t know how to play a single song but I’m having a good time with it. And shells! Diving, beach combing, I love finding treasures.
Favorite movie quote: “I’m a wild and an untamed thing. I’m a bee with a deadly sting.” – Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Rocky Horror Picture Show
Weekend plans: Curl up in the sand and finally finish the book I’ve been reading for way too long!
Favorite Wings product at the moment: the sun + moon shackets! I just drool every time I see them.
How would you describe Wings Hawaii? Wings takes the idea of the real-life mermaid and truly brings it to life through repurposing, keeping clothing and other items out of the ocean and out of landfills, creating pretty things with objects we collect from the environment, and overall having a community mindset that expands over oceans and through mountains. I have never met a more hardworking and determined group of people and it really does show in the products and in the shop.
Arwen, Office morale manager / Security alert system / Professional good girl/ snack inspector
Nicknames: The goodest girl, Boogie, Arweens
Typical Day at Wings: Greeting everyone that comes through the door followed by many naps and offering to check any and all snacks for poison
Hobbies: Sniffing everything, sunbathing, following my human everywhere, judging people silently
Greatest Achievement: Stole a toy from the neighbor’s house and buried it in my parents’ yard…I was never caught
What Makes Me Bark: People coming to my house that I don’t know
Dislikes: Baths, vacuum cleaners, when I’m not being given treats
Hidden Talent: I know exactly who has snacks in their bag/pocket
Hottest Take: All food should be shared
Celebrity Crush: Wishbone
What Made Me Wag Today: When Chucko, the cannery fix-it man, gave me a treat
Favorite Movie Quote: "Did somebody say steak?"
Wildest Dream: Unlimited snacks and sniff walks
Life Is All About: Mostly treats but also my hoomans 🩵
How Would You Describe Wings Hawaii? My second home. Very dog-friendly 10/10 would recommend
…and YOU
Yeah, you. If you’re reading this, you’re a member of the Wings fam, too. Without you, there is no us. To our beloved Wings customers, friends, families, OG supporters: we’re so thankful for you! You shop with intention, prioritizing quality over quantity, handmade artistry over mass-production, and sustainability over fast fashion. Thank you for backing a women-run small business. From our whole team at Wings Hawaii, mahalo for your support. We love you back!
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