It all started in 2003 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a couple of surfer girls. Alongside her best friends, Samantha had a dream to create a business making the jewelry and clothing she loved: hand-made and unique, using hand-gathered Hawaiian shells, recycled metals, and repurposed fabrics. But at that time, these lofty ideals weren’t necessarily seen as “good business.” Sam recalls: “If I had listened to all the business people who told me it wasn’t going to work, then I wouldn’t be here.” Luckily, Sam, Mel and Becky listened only to their own hearts, and to the flocks of fans who eagerly scooped up their goods at every campus sale. Wings Hawaii took flight; and has been soaring high for 22 years now as a business, and 19 years as a brick-and-mortar location.
We’re Wings Hawaii, a woman-owned small business on the beautiful island of Maui, in the north shore town of Paia. Our jewelry and garments are lovingly handmade by local artisans, with eco-consciousness at our forefront. We adore finding vintage gems and giving them new life with an artsy twist. We create heirloom-quality pieces to cherish for years, plus a fun mix of accessories and gifts for anyone who loves Hawaii, and the beachy, free-spirited, “real-life mermaid” lifestyle as much as we do.
Behind every single Wings piece is a dream team of badass craftswomen who are deeply passionate about their “one of a kine” creations. Each hand-crafted item has a story behind it, and we like to think of them as wearable pieces of art. The creator of Wings Hawaii, Samantha Howard, says it best herself: “We’re not just a store or a brand; there is SO much heart behind what we’re doing.”
