Island Style
Born in Kailua in 1979, Island Snow has grown into one of Hawai‘i’s most influential streetwear shops, bridging global fashion and local roots.
TEXT BY EUNICA ESCALANTE
IMAGES BY MARK KUSHIMI
TRANSLATION BY MAHORO ROTH
Walking into Island Snow at Royal Hawaiian Center feels like stepping into the crossroads of Hawai‘i and global street culture. Carhartt WIP hangs alongside Awake NY, while Northface sits comfortably next to Tori Richard—brands that might seem worlds apart until you see how they’ve been reimagined in Island Snow’s curated space.
It’s a far cry from the brand’s earliest days in 1979, when founder James Kodama opened a small shave-ice shop in Kailua that also sold clothing. The frozen treats drew people in, but the heart of the business was always fashion. “The shave ice was more of a gathering place,” says his son, Brockton. “Clothing was always where my dad wanted to be.”
By 1981, Island Snow had its first Waikīkī shop, a kiosk tucked under banyan trees at the International Marketplace. Over the next twenty years, the brand became synonymous with Hawai‘i’s evolving identity—part surf culture, part global street style. Island Snow was among the first to import Patagonia, and later, to champion streetwear labels before they hit the mainstream. “We always had our eyes on Tokyo, New York, LA,” Brockton recalls. “It was about what was new and cool, and bringing that energy back home.”
The Waikīkī stores eventually shuttered in the late 2000s, when James considered retirement and his sons seemed destined for other careers. For a brief moment, it looked like Island Snow’s Honolulu chapter had closed. But retail has a way of pulling people back in. Brockton, after a short stint in accounting, realized spreadsheets couldn’t compete with the energy of a clothing floor. “I called my dad and said, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’” says Brockton. Within months, Island Snow was reborn under the next generation’s care. Brockton along with his brother Adam now helm the brand’s creative direction.
Reopening in Waikīkī at the Royal Hawaiian Center felt inevitable. Island Snow already had a long-running relationship with Stüssy—operating its Hawai‘i stores for over 30 years—and the appetite for streetwear in Honolulu had only grown. The new store leans heavily into that identity: Awake, Carhartt WIP, HUF, and Island Snow’s own line anchor the racks, while lifestyle crossovers like North Face and Patagonia blur the lines between function and fashion. That duality has created a broad audience. Customers who lined up for sneakers in the ’90s still stop by in their 40s, while teenagers now discover the same brands for the first time. “We shoot younger, but it’s amazing to see OG customers come back,” says Brockton.
Today, Island Snow is both legacy and experiment—a family brand rooted in Hawai‘i’s culture, yet forward-looking enough to keep pace with global fashion. “I go with what I like,” says Brockton. “It’s a family business, but it’s also a reflection of our taste.”
Island Snow is located in Building B, Level 1
