Banks Opens Appropriately Well-Designed Store In Honolulu

It makes perfect sense for Banks to have a store in Honolulu, when you think about it. 

Honolulu’s many things: strip malls, beach boys, high-rises and mai tais, but its naffness has a discernible charm, and, an aesthetic. It’s that blend of classic ’60s vacation vibes, the pale pinks and blues, the melting pot of nationalities and gormless tourists in the original American holiday destination. Banks is one of the few brands in surf world that bleeds an aesthetic throughout the duration of their range, whilst remaining firmly rooted in surf. Much like Honolulu, as lest we forget that it’s a mere 40 minutes from Mecca.

A rack you’d scoop into your arms and leave happy.

The store is situated in China Town exactly, nestled in between dive bars, authentic eateries and galleries of one of the more culturally interesting parts of the city. “Much like our Los Angeles flagship store, located in the Arts District of Downtown LA, we have welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the gritty streets and rich heritage that Honolulu’s Chinatown offers,” says Banks Journal co-founder, Rama McCabe. “With this second flagship location, we endeavour to create a haven of creativity and inclusiveness that adds to the vibrant history and cultural energy that flows through Hawaii.”

Banks is a brand that has a close Japanese connection, and that was one of the things that drew them to Oahu’s capital city. Hawaii’s Japanese population is the second-largest ethnic group in the Islands, and therefore offered a perfect place for the brand to showcase their uniquely international blend of design and surf. The space—which you’d be hard-pressed to argue is anything other than clean—was produced in collaboration with John Esguerra from Honolulu’s Single Double, and will be officially open from the 14th of November. A better place to pick up some threads fit for a winter in the Islands we can’t imagine.

Not a tasteless item in sight.

Pop into 1121 Nuuanu Ave. daily between 11am and 6pm.