Designs from 16 Pacific tattoo artists are being applied by hand to wallets, purses and cuffs.
TCF POST Fashion Feature
MILILANI, Hawaii: Traditional Polynesian tattoo imagery is carrying over to everyday leather goods through NĀ KOA, a Hawaii-based line whose designs come directly from working tattoo artists. It began in 2015 with bifold wallets and card holders by three artists. It now draws on 16 artists of Hawaiian, Maori, Marquesan, Tahitian and Samoan heritage, and the range includes money clip wallets, purses, cuff bracelets and bags.
The art
Each design is an original piece by an artist trained in their own tradition and is meant to carry that culture’s meanings.
- Mano (shark): by award-winning Maui artist Kuaika Quenga, used on bifold wallets, money clip wallets and wallets with a flip-out compartment.
- Honu (sea turtle): by Teva Lowy, based on his Tahitian roots, used on purses.
- Sea bird wing: by Megan Jones, an intricate composition of Hawaiian motifs, also on purses.
The roster includes Tricia Allen, credited as one of a handful of people who revived traditional tattooing across the Pacific Islands. It also includes three Samoan artists who hold the title Sulu’ape, conferred by one of the two legendary families of Samoan tatau masters.
The craft
The pieces are handcrafted from premium leather. Each design is applied by hand using a proprietary process the company says keeps the art durable while preserving the feel of genuine leather. That is the key technical claim, since tattoo-style linework on leather has to survive daily handling in a wallet or bag.
Customers have singled out the authenticity of the artwork. One reviewer described the designs as “true to the Polynesian culture.”
Find it
The line is sold at nakoa.com, in Hawaii stores carrying Hawaiian and Pacific cultural products, and in shops serving Pacific Islander communities on the US mainland. Artist profiles are at nakoa.com/meet-the-artists.
