Jazmin Pekuna Hong

Aloha my name is Pekuna Hong. I am 28 from Kaneohe and I have 4 Keiki. In Highschool I loved art, especially fashion. I had books full of fashion design and ideas. But I never thought of it as a realistic future for me so I put off my acceptances to Fashion Institutes. I went to UH Hilo for awhile and came home to help take care of my grandma. I attended school a little bit and worked on a boat, getting my captains license in 2006. After getting pregnant I went back to school. I graduated in 2011 with a BA in Hawaiian Language. I started making block prints about three years ago. It started as an attempt to save money on shirts and get involved in making our kids shirt at my daughters preschool by making a stamp that all the parents could use to print their kids shirts with. It was so fun and I fell in love with the process of carving a stamp and the freedom I have in printing. My goal is to make wearable extensions of us as cultural women and men.