About

About Us

Hello! Welcome to ‘Kawaiiki’. This is the story about who we are, what we do and how and where it all started.

My name is Alex and I am the founder of ‘Kawaiiki’!

Our Beginning

A few years ago, back in 2018, some ideas started rolling around in my head.

By that time I ran a couple meme pages and knew that there was a profound creative potential hiding in obscure corners of the internet.

I believed that this creative potential could be transferred into something visible, not just on the web, but something we can wear and use in everyday’s life.

Located in the USA, I went ahead and began designing and printing some of my artworks on t-shirts in-house.

I teamed up with some of my artist friends, from both online and offline, and at first we screwed up big time!
We started designing and printing our own shirts with a terrible heat press, messing everything up, from burning our shirts to even short-circuiting the electricity for my neighbor’s house. We were frustrated and understandably thought about giving up.

But we didn't! Our belief in what we do was what allowed us to get up, time and time again.

No other brand or store was selling such a broad range of Kawaii inspired products - especially not some small-time independent artists from the corners of the internet!

I knew that ‘Kawaiiki’ would work, it was just a matter of how.

It’s been a long journey, from a room procrastinating for my university exams to managing our Kawaii Shop.

The first few years were undoubtedly the hardest. I remember slaving away for hours with nothing to show for.

For most of 2018 and 2019 we were selling our products through social media and marketplace outlets, while no one took our undertaking too seriously. But then, when your hard work begins to pay off, you get a wonderful feeling that is hard to describe.

We gradually focused more on a wide selection of Kawaii products, instead of just t-shirts.

Who We Are Now

Fast forward a few years, and I’ve got a branded website for our shop, expanding and improving the quality of what ‘Kawaiiki’ offers.

I’ve changed suppliers multiple times until I was confident and happy with the product I was offering. I know I would never sell something I wouldn’t want to wear or use myself. In fact, we are so confident in the quality of our product that we provide our customers with a stress-free return option - that is not something many shops offer!

As of 2023 ‘Kawaiiki’ has a team of independent artists from multiple countries. Either we draw our designs ourselves, or we purchase it directly from an artist.

We regularly scout for talent, so you’re welcome to get in touch with us if you believe your style matches what we offer!

Today ‘Kawaiiki’ prints and ships apparel from multiple countries. We partnered with the absolute best print services located in Latvia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and as of February 2023 - Canada! We ship our items worldwide.

And now, here we are! We have gone a very long way - and not an easy one. Our team has grown, and the process has always been evolving! Combining beautiful artworks from talented independent artists with premium quality garments is what we do.

That is ‘Kawaiiki’ - the official experts of the Kawaii style.