KAPA‘A — The owners of a new boutique in the Dragon Building of Old Kapa‘a Town were excited to see a UPS truck in their driveway Wednesday. They had hoped it was delivering Bali — their latest line of self-designed
KAPA‘A — The owners of a new boutique in the Dragon Building of Old Kapa‘a Town were excited to see a UPS truck in their driveway Wednesday.
They had hoped it was delivering Bali — their latest line of self-designed fashions from the Indonesian island — just in time for Friday’s open house celebration of Hanalei Trading Girls.
Andrea Weston-Webb and Michele Sgarbi said their adventure into a new women’s and girls’ clothing store is one of pure passion for clothes that make women look sexy, classy and feminine like the women of Brazil but without breaking the bank.
Weston-Webb, a lawyer and former world champion body boarder, moved to Kaua‘i in 1992 from Southern Brazil. During a world tour for women’s body boarding, she visited the island to do a photo shoot for Body Boarding Magazine, she said. She met her husband on Kaua‘i and decided to make it her home.
Sgarbi, a software engineer from Northeastern Brazil, moved to Kaua‘i in 2008. She said she got into software engineering because it held promise as a lucrative career, but her heart is truly in the art of designing fashionable clothing.
“I love Valentino because he really enhances women’s curves and femininity,” she said. “Every woman looks gorgeous in his clothes, no matter who wears them.”
She said she is also inspired by the classic lines and femininity of Dolce and Gabbana and by the style of the women of Brazil.
Weston-Webb said, “We try to be as unique as we can be. The fashion in Brazil is dress you up, not cover you up. Brazil fashions show a woman’s body. American clothes just cover you up.”
For Weston-Webb, it’s her second store. Her fist is Hanalei Trading Co. in Hanalei, which she opened eight years ago. She said the Kapa‘a store is a chance for her business to branch out in the community. She said she believes the Dragon Building is an opportune location. Someday, she said she hopes to have a Hanalei Trading Kids store.
Although the women are both from Brazil, they met for the first time on Kaua‘i. Weston-Webb said they kept unintentionally meeting one another around town and eventually became friends. Soon thereafter, they were business partners.
Almost all of their clothes and accessories, from dresses to handbags and shoes, are self-designed and produced in Bali. Some of their items are ordered from Brazil, Weston-Webb said, but the cost of Brazilian clothes has increased dramatically over the last few years as Brazil has prospered and the U.S. dollar has been devaluated.
Weston-Webb said that during the last year, her cost of fabrics has increased 25 to 35 percent, but she has chosen to “eat” the cost increase rather than pass it on to customers and hopes to make up the difference in sales volume.
They said their clothes range between $20 and $60, and they offer a 10 percent kama‘aina discount for locals. Sizes range from extra small to extra large.
“When we design, it’s for all bodies and all seasons,” Weston-Webb said. “We are as bright and vibrant as we can be.”
The open house celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday will include live music and other recently opened Dragon Building businesses such as Swami Yoga, Kapu Tattoo and Aloha Images.
Hanalei Trading Girls is located at 4504 Kukui St. in Kapa‘a near Highway 56. They are open 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 822-0720.
