SS39678 / SUN SURF SPECIAL EDITION “ORIGINAL MATSON MENU DESIGN by EUGENE SAVAGE” (SHORT SLEEVE)

Kamehameha was a brand created by the Kamehameha Garment Company, founded in 1936 by Herb Breiner. Among the pieces produced by the company, this “Matson Menu” pattern stands as one of the most collectible of all. For any serious collector of vintage aloha shirts, it is a true masterpiece—one that many have long considered essential to own at least once. Even today, its appeal shows no sign of fading, and its market value continues to rise. Operating from the early twentieth century until 1969, the Matson Line served as the long-running passenger route linking San Francisco and Hawaii. Commissioned by the company, two artists—Frank McIntosh and Eugene Savage—were responsible for illustrating the covers of the menus used in the shipboard restaurants of the Matson Line. This shirt is an exceptionally accomplished piece, faithfully reworking and reconstructing menu cover artwork originally painted by Savage into a textile design of remarkable completeness and beauty. The textile design itself is said to have been created by “John MacMillan,” though this was in fact an alternate name used by the renowned designer John Meigs, who is known to have worked under both names during that period. TITLE： “ORIGINAL MATSON MENU DESIGN by EUGENE SAVAGE” ORIGINAL BRAND NAME： KAMEHAMEHA ESTIMATED MANUFACTURING DATES： EARLY 1950s FABRIC： FILAMENT RAYON PRINTING METHOD： OVER PRINTING PRINTING PATTERN： HORIZONTAL PATTERN