Happy Father's Day From Tori Richard

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June 21, 2020 10:47am EDT

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Matte tone:

In 1956, my father and Mitsue Aka, along with designer Janice Moody, co-founded Tori Richard, Ltd. After working in a Chicago apparel factory post World War II, my dad liked to say he came to Hawai‘i in the early 1950s to retire. Clearly, this was not the case. At our founding, he had a vision to bring sophistication to the nascent apparel industry in the islands that previously focused on souvenir kistch. He had bigger goals. He wanted to infuse our textile artwork with inspiration from the world's many cultures that came to Hawai‘i.

I think he did a good job of it. At my father’s side, I was blessed to have many important business lessons. He taught me about the significance of our textile artwork, the quality of our products, and the importance of the relationships with our people and communities who make it all possible.

Many years after my father’s passing, these lessons have proven invaluable. They have helped form our company culture today. With our community in mind, at the start of the pandemic, we donated $400,000 worth of our reusable fabric face masks to individuals when masks were in short supply. We still hand paint all our textile art in the more costly “one way” design method. No motif is printed upside down on Tori Richard fabric. My dad also insisted that the majority of our textile designs be printed in Japan where artisanal textile printing began centuries ago. Sixty-five years later, we honor this tradition by continuing to print our fabrics in those same Japanese mills.

Since our founding in 1956, the heart of Tori Richard remains unchanged by time and current adversities. I am proud to carry on the legacy that my father helped begin almost 65 years ago. This Father’s Day, I reflect on who my father was, and how much he meant to me and to our company. Good fathers have the ability to challenge, encourage and shape you into the person you want to become. My dad taught me and our employees much about business and art, but more importantly, he taught us how to be good people. I am grateful for these lessons every day.

Wishing you a Happy Father’s Day, from the Tori Richard ‘Ohana.

Mahalo,