Our Story

How The Keiki Dept Began

The Keiki Dept began in 2015 when finding Hawaiʻi-inspired clothes for keiki seemed like it would be easy—until we realized it wasn't. The market offered only tacky aloha prints or generic designs that missed the depth of our local heritage.

As a Native Hawaiian Māmā searching for authentic clothing that connected keiki to their culture, our founder recognized a significant gap in the market. This need sparked the creation of The Keiki Dept, which officially launched in 2016 with handmade bibdanas and harem shorts inspired by local Hawaiʻi culture.

Our Evolution

What started as a passion project to pay for diapers quickly evolved. From hand-sewing at the dining room table to operating from our warehouse in Aiea, our growth has been guided by our commitment to cultural connection.

In 2018, we made an intentional shift to focus specifically on Hawaiian culture, incorporating native plants and cultural elements into our designs. Through learning about native plants and planting kalo with our keiki, our designs gained deeper cultural significance.

What began as a way to connect one keiki to Hawaiʻi's culture has grown alongside our ʻohana. Now with five keiki, The Keiki Dept isn't just about clothing—it's part of our journey to learn Olelo Hawaii and deepen our cultural roots together.

Our Mission

At The Keiki Dept, we create quality everyday keiki clothing that can be cherished and passed down like keepsakes—pieces that tell stories of Hawaiʻi while being practical enough for daily wear.

We believe that clothing should be more than just something you wear—it should tell a story, evoke memories, and be cherished for generations. Through our designs, we aim to:

• Spark meaningful conversations about the significance of Hawaiʻi's plants and animals
• Support Hawaiʻi non-profits that uplift Native Hawaiian keiki and their ʻOhana
• Collaborate with wahine artists, primarily from Hawaiʻi, to bring our concepts to life

Who We Are Today

Today, The Keiki Dept is a māmā-owned and operated e-commerce business with stockists throughout Hawaiʻi and the Continental US. We've grown from a single sewing machine to negotiating with manufacturers for small-batch production runs.

When you support The Keiki Dept, you're not just buying clothing—you're investing in cultural connection and becoming part of a community that values passing down both garments and heritage to the next generation.

We invite you to join us in celebrating and preserving Hawaiian culture through thoughtfully designed clothing that connects keiki to their heritage, one treasured piece at a time.

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